#petroicidae

[herpsandbirds]

Pink Robin (Petroica rodinogaster), family Petroicidae, order Passeriformes, SE Australia

Photograph by Deepak Karra

[awkwardbirdsdreaming]

Bird #27 - the black robin (VU)

After so many extinct birds, I think it's good to look at a bit of an opposite case!

The black robin, also known as the Chatham robin, resides in the Chatham Islands, where introduced mammals and habitat loss almost wiped out the species. In 1980 there were only 5 robins left on a single island, and only one breeding pair existed.

Conservationists rushed in. The birds were moved onto a neighbouring island that was larger and had more suitable habitat. The number of offspring produced every year was increased - they collected the first clutch of eggs for a foster species to raise, and the black robins would go on to lay a second clutch. Quarantining the island from predators was (and still is) important to maintain the population.

Thanks to all the past efforts, the population has risen to around 300 in 2021 from that single pair! Obviously this creates a tight genetic bottleneck, but it seems inbreeding actually hasn't impacted the species too much, likely because it's already adapted to having small populations on island habitats. Numbers are now stable. :)

Also they look like the most perfect round and adorable fuzzballs, I've linked the eBird page at the top so you can see some photos

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

The pink robin......................................

Have you seen the pink robin (Petroica rodinogaster)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onApr 8, 2025

Photos are of a male and female, respectively.

[dysfunctionalphotography]

Southern Scrub Robin, Kalbarri WA.

[tbalderdash-art-blog]

Saw this Pink Robin on Cornell Birds' Instagram, had to draw the adorable little guy

Reference photo by Deepak Karra

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[birdblues]

Tomtit

[drhoz]

#2743 - Petroica australis ssp. australis - Mainland South Island Robin

This little bloke flew up to me and gave me the filthiest expression I've ever got from a bird.

AKA in Māori as the kakaruwai.

Endemic to the South Island - the Stewart Island Robin (P. australis rakiura) is endemic to Stewart Island to the south. There's also the  North Island Robin (P. longipes) and the extremely rare Black Robin (P. traversi) of the Chatham Islands.

The diet is mostly leaf litter invertebrates, often cached nearby. The birds can differentiate and prioritise caches of up to 12 total items, without training - the highest recorded numerical competency of any wild animal.

Their population is now fragmented by habitat loss and introduced predators, although the Stewart Island subspecies has suffered far worse and was down to an estimated 500 individuals at one point.

Orokonui Ecosanctuary, Aotearoa New Zealand.

[transbirds]

Pink Robin (Petroica rodinogaster)

© Charlie Price