Petroica

Pink robin Petroica rodinogaster, copyright Tom Tarrant.

Belongs within: Petroicidae.

Petroica, the Australasian robins, is a genus of small, stout birds whose males often have contrasting colour patterns with dark upperparts and whitish underparts; a number of species are also bear red markings.

See also: The Australasian not-robins.

<==Petroica Swainson 1830 (see below for synonymy) CC10
    |  i. s.: P. archboldi JT12
    |         P. bivittata JT12
    |         P. longipes (Garnot in Duperrey 1827) (see below for synonymy) CC10
    |--P. goodenovii (Vigors & Horsfield 1827) BKB15, WS48 (see below for synonymy)
    `--+--+--P. macrocephala (Gmelin 1789) BKB15, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
       |  |    |--P. m. macrocephala (see below for synonymy) CC10
       |  |    |--P. m. chathamensis Fleming 1950 CC10
       |  |    |--P. m. dannefaerdi (Rothschild 1894) (see below for synonymy) CC10
       |  |    |--P. m. marrineri (Mathews & Iredale 1913) (see below for synonymy) CC10
       |  |    `--P. m. toitoi (Lesson 1828) (see below for synonymy) CC10
       |  `--P. traversi (Buller 1872) JT12, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
       `--+--P. australis (Sparrman 1788) BKB15, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
          |    |--P. a. australis (see below for synonymy) CC10
          |    `--P. a. rakiura Fleming 1950 [=P. (Miro) australis rakiura] CC10
          `--+--+--P. phoenicea BKB15
             |  `--+--*P. multicolor (Gmelin 1789) CC10, BKB15, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
             |     |    |--P. m. multicolor (see below for synonymy) CC10
             |     |    `--P. m. campbelli Sharpe 1898 WS48
             |     `--P. boodang BKB15 [=P. multicolor boodang M03; incl. P. multicolor leggi M03]
             `--+--P. rodinogaster BKB15
                `--+--P. rosea BKB15
                   `--Eugerygone rubra BKB15

Petroica Swainson 1830 [incl. Miro Lesson 1831, Myiomoira Reichenbach 1850, Myioscopus Reichenbach 1850, Nesomiro Mathews & Iredale 1913] CC10

Petroica australis (Sparrman 1788) BKB15, CC10 [=Turdus australis CC10, Aplonis australis CC10, Miro australis CC10]

Petroica australis australis (Sparrman 1788) [incl. Turdus albifrons Gmelin 1789, Miro albifrons, Muscicapa albifrons, Myioscopus albifrons, Petroica albifrons, Miro bulleri Sharpe in Buller 1905, M. australis bulleri, Turdus ochrotarsus Forster in Lichtenstein 1844, Miro ochrotarsus, Muscicapa saxicolina Bonaparte 1851] CC10

Petroica goodenovii (Vigors & Horsfield 1827) BKB15, WS48 [=Muscicapa goodenovii WS48; incl. P. ramsayi Sharpe 1879 WS48, P. goodenovii ruficapilla Mathews 1912 WS48]

Petroica longipes (Garnot in Duperrey 1827) [=Muscicapa longipes, *Myioscopus longipes, P. (*Miro) australis longipes, Myiothera novaezelandiae Lesson 1828] CC10

Petroica macrocephala (Gmelin 1789) BKB15, CC10 [=Parus macrocephalus CC10, Miro macrocephala CC10, Muscicapa macrocephala CC10, Myiomoira macrocephala CC10, Petroeca (l. c.) macrocephala CC10, Rhipidura macrocephala CC10, Pachycephalus australis Stephens in Shaw 1826 CC10]

Petroica macrocephala dannefaerdi (Rothschild 1894) [=Miro dannefaerdi, M. dannefordi, Nesomiro traversi dannefaerdi] CC10

Petroica macrocephala macrocephala (Gmelin 1789) [incl. Miro dieffenbachii Gray in Dieffenbach 1843, Myiomoira macrocephala dieffenbachii, Petroica dieffenbachii, Miro forsterorum Gray in Dieffenbach 1843, Turdus minutus Forster in Lichtenstein 1844, Muscicapa minutus] CC10

Petroica macrocephala marrineri (Mathews & Iredale 1913) [=Myiomoira macrocephala marrineri; incl. M. macrocephala enderbyi Mathews 1930] CC10

Petroica macrocephala toitoi (Lesson 1828) [=Muscicapa toitoi, Miro toitoi, *Myiomoira toitoi, Petroeca (l. c.) toitoi; incl. Muscicapa albopectus Ellman 1861] CC10

*Petroica multicolor (Gmelin 1789) CC10, BKB15, CC10 [=Muscicapa multicolor CC10, Petroeca (l. c.) multicolor CC10, M. erythrogastra Latham 1790 CC10, Petroica erythrogastra CC10]

Petroica multicolor multicolor (Gmelin 1789) [incl. Muscicapa dibapha Forster in Lichtenstein 1844, P. modesta Gould 1838, P. pulchella Gould 1840, Muscicapa rhodogastra Latham 1802] CC10

Petroica traversi (Buller 1872) JT12, CC10 [=Miro traversi CC10, Myiomoira traversii CC10, *Nesomiro traversi CC10, Petroica traversii CC10]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.

[CC10] Checklist Committee (OSNZ). 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica 4^th ed. Ornithological Society of New Zealand and Te Papa Press: Wellington.

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[M03] Morcombe, M. 2003. Field Guide to Australian Birds 2^nd ed. Steve Parish Publishing.

[WS48] Whittell, H. M., & D. L. Serventy. 1948. A systematic list of the birds of Western Australia. Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia, Special Publication 1: 1–126.

Petroicidae

Canary flyrobin Microeca papuana, photographed by Carmelo López.

Belongs within: Passerides.
Contains: Petroica.

The Petroicidae include the Australasian robins, a group of small insectivorous birds found primarily in wooded areas. Molecular data also support the inclusion of the scrub-robins of the genus Drymodes, which have longer legs and tail than other members of the family.

Characters (from The Internet Bird Collection): Small, rather stocky passerines with large rounded head and rather big eyes, short to moderately long, straight, thin bill with upper mandible hooked to varying degree, some with broader, flatter bill, most species with moderately long and slender legs, rounded to slightly pointed wings, short to moderately long tail, a few with very short or very long tail; plumage generally olive, grey, brown or black above, often with pale wingbar, and frequently more colourful below, some species black, grey and white, a few taxa all black.

<==Petroicidae [Eopsaltriidae, Petroicinae]
    |  i. s.: Monachella muelleriana JT12
    |         Devioeca papuana OF19
    |--+--Amalocichla BKB15
    |  |    |--A. incerta JT12
    |  |    `--A. sclateriana JT12
    |  `--Pachycephalopsis BKB15
    |       |--P. poliosoma BKB15
    |       `--+--P. hattamensis BKB15
    |          `--Petroica BKB15
    `--+--‘Microeca’ papuana BKB15
       `--+--Microeca BKB15
          |    |  i. s.: M. brunneicauda Campbell 1902 [incl. M. brunneicauda tormenti Mathews 1916] WS48
          |    |         M. flavovirescens JT12
          |    |         M. hemixantha JT12
          |    |         M. leucophaea (Latham 1801) [=Sylvia leucophaea] WS48
          |    |           |--M. l. leucophaea WS48
          |    |           |--M. l. assimilis Gould 1840 WS48 [=M. fascinans assimilis M03]
          |    |           `--M. l. subpallida Mathews 1912 [=M. fascinans subpallida] WS48
          |    |--M. griseoceps BKB15
          |    `--+--‘Eopsaltria’ flaviventris JT12 [incl. E. flavigastra S13]
          |       `--M. flavigaster Gould 1842 BKB15, WS48
          |            |--M. f. flavigaster M03
          |            |--M. f. laetissima M03
          |            `--M. f. tormenti Mathews 1916 PCC13
          `--+--Drymodes Gould 1841 JT12, B94 [Drymodinae]
             |    |--D. brunneopygia Gould 1840 [incl. Drymoeodus pallidus Sharpe 1883] WS48
             |    `--D. superciliaris JT12
             |         |--D. s. superciliaris M03
             |         `--D. s. colcloughi M03
             `--+--+--Heteromyias albispecularis JT12
                |  `--Poecilodryas JT12
                |       |--P. albonotata JT12
                |       |--P. brachyura JT12
                |       |--P. cerviniventris (Gould 1857) JT12, WS48 (see below for synonymy)
                |       |--P. hypoleuca JT12
                |       |--P. placens JT12
                |       |--P. pulverulenta (Bonaparte 1851) [=Myiolestes pulverulentus] WS48
                |       |    |--P. p. pulverulenta WS48
                |       |    `--P. p. cinereiceps Hartert 1905 [incl. Pachycephala leucura connectens Mathews 1912] WS48
                |       `--P. superciliosa (Gould 1846) [=Petroica superciliosa] WS48
                `--+--+--+--‘Eopsaltria’ pulverulenta BKB15
                   |  |  `--Peneothello BKB15
                   |  |      |--P. cyanus BKB15
                   |  |      `--P. sigillata BKB15
                   |  `--+--‘Peneothello’ bimaculata BKB15
                   |     `--Melanodryas JT12
                   |          |--M. cucullata (Latham 1801) WS48 (see below for synonymy)
                   |          `--M. vittata (Quoy & Gaimard 1830) [=Petroeca vittata, M. (Amaurodryas) vittata] CC10
                   `--Eopsaltria Swainson 1832 BKB15, B94
                        |  i. s.: E. nana N87
                        |--+--E. australis JT12
                        |  |    |--E. a. australis M03
                        |  |    `--E. a. chrysorrhoa M03
                        |  `--E. griseogularis Gould 1838 JT12, WS48 (see below for synonymy)
                        |       |--E. g. griseogularis M03 [=E. australis griseogularis SJ85]
                        |       `--E. g. rosinae M03
                        `--+--E. georgiana (Quoy & Gaimard 1830) JT12, WS48 (see below for synonymy)
                           `--Tregellasia JT12
                                |--T. capito JT12
                                |    |--T. c. capito M03
                                |    `--T. c. nana M03
                                `--T. leucops JT12

Eopsaltria georgiana (Quoy & Gaimard 1830) JT12, WS48 [=Muscicapa georgiana WS48; incl. E. leucogaster Gould 1846 WS48, Quoyornis georgianus warreni Mathews 1916 WS48]

Eopsaltria griseogularis Gould 1838 JT12, WS48 [incl. Muscicapa gularis Quoy & Gaimard 1830 (preoc.) WS48, E. gularis R87, E. griseogularis quoyi Mathews 1920 WS48, E. griseogularis wongani Mathews 1920 WS48]

Melanodryas cucullata (Latham 1801) WS48 [=Muscicapa cucullata WS48, Petroica cucullata JF06; incl. Melanodryas picata Gould 1865 WS48, P. cucullata westralensis Mathews 1912 WS48]

Poecilodryas cerviniventris (Gould 1857) JT12, WS48 [=Petroica cerviniventris WS48, Po. superciliosa cerviniventris WS48; incl. Pachycephala superciliosa belcheri Mathews 1912 WS48, Po. superciliosa derbyi Mathews 1913 WS48]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1–281.

[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.

[CC10] Checklist Committee (OSNZ). 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica 4^th ed. Ornithological Society of New Zealand and Te Papa Press: Wellington.

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[JF06] Jønsson, K. A., & J. Fjeldså. 2006. A phylogenetic supertree of oscine passerine birds. Zoologica Scripta 35: 149–186.

[M03] Morcombe, M. 2003. Field Guide to Australian Birds 2^nd ed. Steve Parish Publishing.

[N87] North, A. J. 1887. List of references to authentic descriptions of Australian birds' eggs. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (4): 1163–1174.

[OF19] Oliveros, C. H., D. J. Field, D. T. Ksepka, F. K. Barker, A. Aleixo, M. J. Andersen, P. Alström, B. W. Benz, E. L. Braun, M. J. Braun, G. A. Bravo, R. T. Brumfield, R. T. Chesser, S. Claramunt, J. Cracraft, A. M. Cuervo, E. P. Derryberry, T. C. Glenn, M. G. Harvey, P. A. Hosner, L. Joseph, R. T. Kimball, A. L. Mack, C. M. Miskelly, A. T. Peterson, M. B. Robbins, F. H. Sheldon, L. F. Silveira, B. T. Smith, N. D. White, R. G. Moyle & B. C. Faircloth. 2019. Earth history and the passerine superradiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 116 (16): 7916–7925.

[PCC13] Pearson, D. J., M. A. Cowan & W. Caton. 2013. The avifauna of larger islands along the Kimberley coast, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 81: 125–144.

[R87] Ramsay, E. P. 1887. Descriptions of Australian birds' eggs. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (4): 1141–1152, pl. 19.

[S13] Sarasin, F. 1913. Die Vögel Neu-Caledoniens und der Loyalty-Inseln. In: Sarasin, F., & J. Roux (eds) Nova Caledonia: Forschungen in Neu-Caledonian und auf den Loyalty-Inseln. A. Zoologie vol. 1 pt 1 pp. 1–78, pls 1–3. C. W. Kreidels Verlag: Wiesbaden.

[SJ85] Storr, G. M., & R. E. Johnstone. 1985. Field Guide to the Birds of Western Australia 2^nd ed. Western Australian Museum: Perth (Australia).

[WS48] Whittell, H. M., & D. L. Serventy. 1948. A systematic list of the birds of Western Australia. Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia, Special Publication 1: 1–126.

Last updated: 24 July 2019.