- Copsychus fulicatus
Saxicoloides fulicata
Identification
16 cm (6 in); a long tail, generally cocked
- Blackish overall plumage
- White shoulder patch
- Reddish lower belly
Females are dark grey above and paler below
Variations
Males of the northern race S. f. cambaiensis have a grey back and crown.
Distribution
Asia: found in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.
Taxonomy
Formerly placed in genus Saxicoloides.
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- C. f. cambaiensis:
- C. f. erythrurus:
- North-eastern India (plains of Bihar and West Bengal)
- C. f. intermedius:
- Central India (Bombay to Hyderabad and Krishna River)
- C. f. fulicatus:
- Southern India (Bombay to Mysore and Kerala)
- C. f. leucopterus:
- Lowlands of Sri Lanka
Photo by Alok Tewari
House garden, Faridabad, Haryana, India, June 2011
Habitat
Scrub jungle and other open habitats.
Behaviour
Breeding
The nest in a hole in a wall, tree-stump or bank. The clutch consists of 2-3 creamy-white eggs which rest on a pad of grass lined with feathers or hair. Only the female incubates the eggs.
Diet
Their diet consists of insects such as termites, ants, beetles, flies, caterpillars, grasshoppers, bees and wasps as well as their eggs.
Vocalisation
<flashmp3>indian_robin_call.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Recording by Alok Tewari
House garden, Faridabad, Haryana, India, May-2013
Call given by female while male responding with sharp whistles. The pair was nesting in the neighborhood garden.
In early spring, males develop a lovely song, heard in the recording below :
<flashmp3>indian_robin_song.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Recording by Alok Tewari
Open countryside, Dist. Gurgaon, Haryana, India, Jan-2017
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/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved September 2015)
- AvianWeb
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Indian Robin. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Indian_Robin
External Links
