Norfolk Island Pacific Robin
Encyclopedia
The Norfolk Island Pacific Robin (Petroica multicolor multicolor), also known as the Norfolk Island Scarlet Robin or Norfolk Island Robin, is a small bird in the Australasian robin family
, Petroicidae
. It is the nominate subspecies
of the Pacific Robin
(Petroica multicolor) that is endemic to Norfolk Island
, an Australia
n territory in the Tasman Sea
, between Australia and New Zealand
.
(Petroica boodang) of Australia, but was separated in 1999, with the Norfolk Island form part of the Pacific Robin assemblage.
and remnant patches of forest nearby. It mainly inhabits the native subtropical rainforest
, with lower densities in other wooded habitats. It prefers areas with a dense understorey and an open ground layer with deep, moist litter for foraging in.
s and feral cat
s. It is considered Vulnerable
because of the restricted size of the population and area of its distribution. Ongoing conservation management actions include control of rats and feral cats to minimise predation as well as control of invasive weeds to minimise habitat degradation. It is proposed to reintroduce the robin to nearby Phillip Island
when the regenerating habitat there is suitable.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, Petroicidae
Petroicidae
The bird family Petroicidae includes roughly 45 species in about 15 genera. All are endemic to Australasia: New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and numerous Pacific Islands as far east as Samoa. For want of an accurate common name, the family is often called the Australasian robins. Within the...
. It is the nominate subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Pacific Robin
Pacific Robin
The Pacific Robin , is a red-breasted Australasian robin in the passerine bird genus Petroica found on Norfolk Island, 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...
(Petroica multicolor) that is endemic to Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
, an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n territory in the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
, between Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Taxonomy
The Pacific Robin used to be considered conspecific with the Scarlet RobinScarlet Robin
The Scarlet Robin is a common red-breasted Australasian robin in the passerine bird genus Petroica. The species is found on continental Australia and its offshore islands, including Tasmania...
(Petroica boodang) of Australia, but was separated in 1999, with the Norfolk Island form part of the Pacific Robin assemblage.
Description
The Norfolk Island Pacific Robin is similar to many other subspecies of the Pacific Robin, as well as to the Scarlet Robin. The adult male is distinctive, the upperparts being mainly black with a large white spot on the forehead, white bars on the wings and vestigial white tips to the tail. Its breast and upper belly are bright red with the lower belly white. The female is much duller in colouration, being mainly brown with a pinkish breast. Immatures are similar to females. It is the largest of the Pacific Robin subspecies, though slightly smaller than the Scarlet Robin.Distribution and habitat
The robin is restricted to Norfolk Island, where it is largely confined to the Mt Pitt section of the Norfolk Island National ParkNorfolk Island National Park
Norfolk Island National Park is a protected area of 6.50 km² established in 1984 and managed by the Commonwealth of Australia. It comprises two sections, the Mount Pitt section on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific Ocean with an area of 4.60 km² and the neighbouring 1.90 km² Phillip Island, as...
and remnant patches of forest nearby. It mainly inhabits the native subtropical rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
, with lower densities in other wooded habitats. It prefers areas with a dense understorey and an open ground layer with deep, moist litter for foraging in.
Status and conservation
After a period of decline to the 1980s, when the birds disappeared from many parts of the island, the population of the Norfolk Island Pacific Robin apparently stabilised and was estimated at 400-500 pairs in 1988 with little change in 1997. Ongoing threats include habitat degradation and predation by Black RatBlack Rat
The black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
s and feral cat
Feral cat
A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
s. It is considered Vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
because of the restricted size of the population and area of its distribution. Ongoing conservation management actions include control of rats and feral cats to minimise predation as well as control of invasive weeds to minimise habitat degradation. It is proposed to reintroduce the robin to nearby Phillip Island
Phillip Island (Norfolk Island)
Phillip Island is an uninhabited island located south of Norfolk Island in the Southwest Pacific, and part of the Norfolk Island group. It was named in 1788 by Lieutenant Philip Gidley King for Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales. It is part of the Australian territory of Norfolk...
when the regenerating habitat there is suitable.