Rufous-headed robin
| Rufous-headed robin | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Muscicapidae |
| Genus: | Larvivora |
| Species: | L. ruficeps |
| Binomial name | |
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Larvivora ruficeps (Hartert, 1907) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Luscinia ruficeps |
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Luscinia ruficeps
The rufous-headed robin (Larvivora ruficeps) is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in central China. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and temperate shrubland. This poorly known species is thought to be threatened by habitat loss.
The rufous-headed robin was previously placed in the genus Luscinia. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 found that Luscinia was not monophyletic. The genus was therefore split and several species including rufous-headed robin were moved to the reinstated genus Larvivora.
Within the genus Larvivora the rufous-headed robin is genetically most closely related to the rufous-tailed robin (Larvivora sibilans). These two species form a sister group to a clade comprising the Japanese robin (Larvivora akahige) and the Ryukyu robin (Larvivora komadori).
This is a small robin (average length 15 cm) with orange-rufous head, a black face, and a white throat with black bordering. Back, upper breast and flanks are grey, most of the belly and underparts are white. The tail is black with rufous fringes and blackish tips to outer feathers. The song is powerful and clearly phrased, and most similar to that of the Ryukyu robin.
The species has been recorded from only seven confirmed or probable breeding sites in the Qin Mountains of Sichuan and southern Shaanxi, and is also known from a very few scattered migrant records. While good population estimates are absent, it is assumed to have a very localized distribution and small total population size of no more than 1,500-3,800 individuals.
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