Black-throated robin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black-throated robin |
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| Illustration by Keulemans, 1879 | |
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| Genus: |
Plesiodryas
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| Species: |
albonotata
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The black-throated robin (Plesiodryas albonotata) is a small, colorful bird. It belongs to the Australasian robin family. You can find this bird on the island of New Guinea. It lives in wet, cool mountain forests. These forests are usually found high up, between 1,150 and 2,750 meters above sea level.
What's in a Name? (Taxonomy)
Scientists give every living thing a special name. This helps them organize and study nature. The black-throated robin got its first scientific name in 1875. An Italian scientist named Tommaso Salvadori described it. He found a specimen, which is a sample, in the Arfak Mountains of New Guinea.
Later, in 1879, an English scientist moved it to a different group. This group was called Poecilodryas. More recently, in 2011, scientists used new methods to study bird DNA. They found that this robin was quite unique. Because of this, it now has its own special group. This group is called Plesiodryas.
What Does It Look Like?
The black-throated robin is about 18 to 19 centimeters long. That's about the length of a regular pencil. It has a grey-black face and throat. Its upper chest is also grey-black. The top of its head and neck are grey.
A cool feature is a white mark on its neck. It looks like a diagonal stripe. Its upper body is blue-grey. The lower part of its body is grey, turning white towards its belly. Its beak and legs are black. Its eyes are dark brown. This bird's look might remind you of a cuckoo-shrike. But that white neck mark makes it easy to identify!
Where Does It Live and What Does It Eat?
You can find the black-throated robin mostly in the rainforests. These forests are along the central mountains of New Guinea. They stretch from the Bird's Head Peninsula in the west. They go all the way to the Huon Peninsula in the east. These birds live at high altitudes. They prefer areas from 1,800 to 2,750 meters up.
Inside the rainforest, you'll usually see them alone. They like to stay in the lower parts of the forest. Sometimes they are even on the ground. The black-throated robin loves to eat insects. It hunts by carefully picking them off leaves and branches.
