- Petroica rosea
Identification
Length 10-12cm (4.0-4.75in). Male: Gray back and head with short, thin slightly curved bill and a small white dot on the forehead. The deep rose-pink on the chest, not extending to the belly, is the most diagnostic field mark. Female: may have a slightly pink-tinted breast, but is overall brown and buff. This is the smallest of the Petroica robins.
Similar Species
Similar in morph and markings to all the other members of its genus, but P. rosea has gray (instead of red) upperparts, and the rose color (instead of pink or scarlet) does not extend behind the chest.
Distribution
SE and E Australia, not extending to northern Queensland.
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
Petroica rodinogaster rodinogaster Tasmania and islands in Bass Strait
Petroica rodinogaster inexpectata SE Australia (se NSW to s Victoria); > to north and west
Habitat
Temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Behaviour
Forages actively for insects in the upper and middle stories of the forest, which it may catch in flight; behaviour much like a flycatcher.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
