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Pacific robin

Pacific robin
Petroica multicolor 1.jpg
P. p. kleinschmidti, Viti Levu, Fiji
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Petroicidae
Genus: Petroica
Species: P. pusilla
Binomial name
Petroica pusilla
(Peale, 1848)
Synonyms

Petroica multicolor


Petroica multicolor

The Pacific robin (Petroica pusilla), is a red-breasted Australasian robin in the passerine bird genus Petroica found in Melanesia and Polynesia. It is similar in plumage to the scarlet robin of Australia, and until recently the two were considered conspecific until split in 1999 by Schodde and Mason. 14 subspecies of Pacific robin are currently recognised, and these subspecies display considerable variation in plumage, foraging preferences and habitat. The Norfolk robin was previously considered a subspecies of the Pacific robin, but is now considered a distinct species.

The Pacific robin is a small passerine, 11.5–13.5 cm long and weighing 9–11 g. Over much of its range it is the smallest species of bird. The plumage of the males and females is dimorphic, and the extent of this varies depending on the subspecies. The male of the nominate race has a black head with a white forehead, a black back and tail, and the wings are also black with a white bar. The breast and belly are red, and the lower belly and rump are white. The female lacks the white forehead and the white bar on the wing; and the black plumage of the male is replaced by dark brown feathers instead. The breast is a duller red than the male and has more brown on the sides, and the white on the rump also smaller. Both sexes have black legs and bills. Amongst the subspecies, some males have more female-like plumage, for example P. m. femenina of central Vanuatu; in others the female more closely resembles the male. The males of P. m. polymorpha of Makira in the Solomon Islands have two different plumage morphs, including one with no white on the forehead but an all rufous-brown head. For a complete list of the differences in subspecies plumages see below.


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Wikipedia

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