Indian robin
| Indian robin | |
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-_cambaiensis_race_at_Hodal_I_IMG_5835.jpg) |
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| Male of race cambaiensis | |
_I-Haryana_IMG_8045.jpg) |
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| Female of race cambaiensis (Haryana) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Muscicapidae |
| Genus: | Copsychus |
| Species: | C. fulicatus |
| Binomial name | |
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Copsychus fulicatus (Linnaeus, 1766) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Motacilla fulicata |
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Motacilla fulicata
Saxicoloides fulicata
Thamnobia cambaiensis
Thamnobia fulicata
Sylvia ptymatura
The Indian robin (Copsychus fulicatus) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is widespread in the Indian subcontinent, and ranges across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The males of northern populations have a brown back whose extent gradually reduces southwards with populations in the southern peninsula having an all black back. They are commonly found in open scrub areas and often seen running along the ground or perching on low thorny shrubs and rocks. Their long tails are held erect and their chestnut undertail covert and dark body make them easily distinguishable from the pied bushchat and the oriental magpie robin.
The Indian robin was the only species in the monotypic genus Saxicoloides until it was moved to Copsychus based on the results of several molecular phylogenetic studies published since 2010.
The Indian robin is sexually dimorphic in plumage with the male being mainly black with a white shoulder patch or stripe whose visible extent can vary with posture. The northern populations have the upper plumage brownish while the southern populations are black above. The males have chestnut undertail coverts and these are visible as the bird usually holds the 6–8 cm long tail raised upright. The females are brownish above, have no white shoulder stripe and are greyish below with the vent a paler shade of chestnut than the males. Birds of the northern populations are larger than those from southern India or Sri Lanka. Juvenile birds are much like females but the throat is mottled.
Several populations are named based on their plumage differences. The nominate subspecies refers to the population found across southern Peninsular India. Race leucopterus is found in Sri Lanka. Race cambaiensis of western India and erythrura (=erythrurus) of eastern India (south to around Sambalpur) have the males with brown backs. The population intermedius includes forms between cambaiensis, erythrura and fulicata in central India and parts of the Deccan region. A race munda was named on the basis of a specimen from Punjab but is now considered synonymous with cambaiensis. Older classifications treat the population in southern India under the name ptymatura while considering the type locality as Sri Lanka although the type locality has subsequently been restricted to Pondicherry.
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Wikipedia