Australasian robin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Petroicidae |
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| Scarlet robin, Knocklofty Reserve, Hobart, Tasmania | |
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The Petroicidae are a family of small birds. They are often called the Australasian robins. This bird family has 49 different kinds of birds, which are grouped into 19 genera (types). You can find them only in Australasia. This includes places like New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many Pacific Islands, stretching all the way to Samoa.
Even though they are called "robins," "scrub-robins," or "flyrobins," they are not closely related to the robins found in the Old World. Those birds belong to a different family called Muscicapidae. They are also different from the monarch flycatchers.
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About Australasian Robins
Most Australasian robins have a compact body. They have a large, round head and a short, straight beak. Their wingtips are also rounded.
These birds live in many different kinds of wooded areas. You can find them from cold, high-altitude forests to warm, tropical rainforests. They also live in mangrove swamps and dry, scrubby lands.
What They Eat
Australasian robins mainly eat insects. Some species also eat seeds to add to their diet. They usually hunt by sitting on a branch and then quickly flying down to catch their food. A common hunting trick is to cling sideways to a tree trunk. From there, they can look at the ground below without moving much.
Family Life
These birds usually live in long-term pairs. They also form small family groups. Many birds in the Eopsaltrinae group practice something called cooperative breeding. This means all family members work together. They help protect their territory and feed the baby birds in the nest.
Their Nests
The nests of these birds are shaped like a cup. The female bird usually builds the nest. They often place their nests in a vertical fork of a tree or a bush. Many species are very good at camouflaging their nests. They add moss, bark, or lichen to the outside. This makes the nest very hard to see, even if it is in an open spot.
How They Are Classified
The Australasian robins were first thought to be part of a huge family called Muscicapidae. This family included many other insect-eating birds, like the "true robins" from Europe. For a while, they were also placed in the whistler family, Pachycephalidae. Later, scientists decided they deserved their own family, which is now called Petroicidae.
The Petroicidae family is part of a larger group of birds called Passerides. This group also includes other bird groups like Sylviida, Muscicapida, and Passerida. The Petroicidae are most closely related to the Rail-babbler family (Eupetidae), the Rockjumper family (Chaetopidae), and the Rockfowl family (Picathartidae).
See also
In Spanish: Petroícidos para niños
