Alternative names: Slaty Robin; Slaty Robin-flycatcher, Slaty Thicket-flycatcher; Blue Flycatcher-robin
- Peneothello cyanus
Identification
14-15 cm.
- Blue-grey head and body
- Darker face, slightly paler underparts
- Blackish wing and tail
- Dark brown eye
- Black bill and legs
- atricapilla is darker than nominate with dark crown
- subcyanea has a paler crown
Sexes similar. Juveniles have a slate plumage with buff shaft streaks and large rusty-brown tips.
Distribution
Endemic to the mountains of New Guinea.
Locally fairly common to common, scarce in other parts of its range.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies:
- P. c. cyanus:
- North-western New Guinea (Vogelkop Mountains)
- P. c. atricapilla:
- Mountains of north-eastern and central New Guinea
- P. c. subcyanea:
- Central highlands and mountains of south-eastern New Guinea and Huon Peninsula
Habitat
Forest and secondary growth from 900 to 2750 m, most common at 1500 to 2500m.
Where co-occurs with Smoky Robin found lower than the latter.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects.
Forages in lower levels of the forest and on the ground.
Breeding
Breeding recorded from September to April, varies in range. The nest is a deep, bulky cup made of fine rootlets, green moss and fern fronds. It's placed up to 6 m above the ground in a fork of a sapling or a low bush. Lays 1 egg.
Movements
Presumably a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
- Avibase
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Blue-grey Robin. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 22 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blue-grey_Robin
