Microeca fascinans
| Jacky winter | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Petroicidae |
| Genus: | Microeca |
| Species: | M. fascinans |
| Binomial name | |
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Microeca fascinans (Latham, 1801) |
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The jacky winter (Microeca fascinans) is a small grey-brown robin found commonly throughout Australia and also in Papua New Guinea. The jacky winter acquired its name due to rapid and strong vocalisations which sound like jacky-jacky winter-winter. Their call is also often referred to as sounding like peter-peter-peter. Its habitats include open woodlands and farmlands.
The jacky winter belongs to the family of Australasian robins and flycatchers; Petroicidae. This genus includes around 45 species in around 13 genera that are all endemic to Australasia. The family Petroicidae evolved in a similar way to the Australo-Papuan warblers (Acanthizidae). This family evolved in isolation, away from similar families (Parulidae and Sylviidae), to fill an ecological niche which was already being used in other continents such as Central America/South America and Asia respectively.Petroicidae evolved to fill an ecological niche in the Australo-Papuan area which was already being used by New World flycatchers (Tyrannidae) in North America and South America and Old World flycatchers (Muscicapidae) in Europe, Africa and Asia. This type of evolution is an example of convergent evolution.
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