Mangrove robin explained

The mangrove robin (Peneothello pulverulenta) is a passerine bird in the family Petroicidae. It is found in the Aru Islands, New Guinea, and northern Australia. The bird's common name refers to its natural habitat. They live in mangrove forests and seldom fly outside these biomes.

Taxonomy

The mangrove robin was described by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1850 from a specimen collected in New Guinea. He coined the binomial name Myiolestes pulverulentus.^[1] The species was subsequently moved to the genus Peneoenanthe by the Australian ornithologist Gregory Mathews.^[2] It is now placed in the genus Peneothello, based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study of the family Petroicidae, published in 2011.^{[3] [4]}

There are four subspecies.^[4]

• P. p. pulverulenta (Bonaparte, 1850) – coastal New Guinea
• P. p. leucura (Gould, 1869) – Aru Islands (south west of New Guinea), northeast coast of Australia
• P. p. alligator (Mathews, 1912) – coastal northern Australia and nearby islands
• P. p. cinereiceps (Hartert, 1905) – northwest coast of Australia

Description

The mangrove robin has an average weight of for males and for females.^[5] Their wingspan differs between subspecies – the leucura subspecies have spans of to for males and to for females, while the alligator subspecies have spans of to for males and to for females. For cinereiceps, male birds have wingspans of to long; on the other hand, female wingspans are to long.^[6] They feature a "dull pale bar" at the bottom of their remiges, although this is not very noticeable.^[6] In order to facilitate their navigation through thick mangrove forests, mangrove robins have developed wings and tails that are rounded.^[7]

Distribution and habitat

The bird is found in the Northern Australia region and the island of New Guinea,^[8] within the countries of Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Their preferred habitat are tropical and subtropical mangrove forests located above the level of high tide. They seldom travel outside their habitat.^[9]

The mangrove robin has been placed in the least Concern category of the IUCN Red List, as the population has remained stable throughout the last ten years. The size of its distribution range is over .^[8]

Behaviour

The call of the mangrove robin has been described as a "down-slurred whistle". It eats insects in the mud when the tide falls.^[10] While these may be its primary prey, the mangrove robin also consumes a significant amount of crab in its diet.^[9]

References

• Book: Handbook of the Birds of the World Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions. 2007. del Hoyo. Josep. Elliott. Andrew. Christie. David A.. 978-84-96553-42-2.

External links

• Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the mangrove robin

Notes and References

1. Book: Bonaparte, Charles Lucien . Charles Lucien Bonaparte . 1850 . Conspectus Generum Avium . 1 . la . E.J. Brill . Leiden . 358 .
2. Book: Mayr . Ernst . Ernst Mayr . Cottrell . G. William . 1986 . Check-list of Birds of the World . 11 . Museum of Comparative Zoology . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 574 .
3. Christidis . L. . Irestedt . M. . Rowe . D. . Boles . W.E. . Norman . J.A. . 2011 . Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA phylogenies reveal a complex evolutionary history in the Australasian robins (Passeriformes: Petroicidae) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 61 . 3 . 726–738 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.08.014 . 21867765 .
4. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . 2019 . Australasian robins, rockfowl, rockjumpers, Rail-babbler . World Bird List Version 9.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 15 June 2019 .
5. Book: Dunning, John B. Jr.. CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses. Second. CRC Press. December 5, 2007. 411. 9781420064452. January 11, 2014.
6. Book: Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. CSIRO Publishing. October 1, 1999. Schodde. Richard. Mason. Ian J.. 469–471. 9780643102934. January 11, 2014.
7. Book: Maintaining Biodiversity in Forest Ecosystems. Cambridge University Press. June 10, 1999. 9780521637688. Hunter. Malcolm L.. January 11, 2014.
8. Web site: Mangrove Robin (Eopsaltria pulverulenta). 2013. BirdLife International. January 11, 2014.
9. Book: Invasion Biology and Ecological Theory: Insights from a Continent in Transformation. Cambridge University Press. January 31, 2014. Prins. Herbert H. T.. Gordon. Iain J.. 106. 9781107035812. January 11, 2014.
10. Book: The Complete Guide to Finding the Birds of Australia. CSIRO Publishing. 2011. Thomas. Sarah. Andrew. David. 90. 9780643097858. January 11, 2014.