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Subalpine Robin Petroica bivittata Scientific name definitions

Walter Boles
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated August 31, 2014

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Field Identification

11·5 cm. Nominate male has head, neck and upperparts black, small white forehead patch; remiges and greater upperwing-­coverts brownish-black, lesser and median coverts black; tail black, outer rectrix with distal end white (more than half of feather length on some individuals), next two feather pairs with small white tips; chin and throat to breast black, remainder of underparts white or greyish-white, thighs smoky grey; iris dark brown; bill and legs black. Female like male but duller, black areas sooty grey, not well demarcated from greyish-white belly and flanks, outer rectrix with outer web and tip white. Juvenile undescribed. Race <em>caudata</em> smaller, with white in tail much reduced.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Two subspecies recognized

Subspecies


SUBSPECIES

Petroica bivittata caudata Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Nassau Range and Oranje Range, in WC New Guinea.

SUBSPECIES

Petroica bivittata bivittata Scientific name definitions

Distribution

EC and SE New Guinea: Central Highlands (Mt Hagen, Mt Giluwe and Lamende Range), and Wharton and Owen Stanley Ranges (Mt Albert Edward, Mt Scratchley, Mt Knutsford, Mt Victoria, Mt Thumb); also, probably this race, Huon Peninsula (1).

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

High mountain forest, subalpine shrubland, and ecotone between subalpine forest and alpine grassland; found at 3900 m on Carstensz Massif (Nassau Range), 3050–3500 m in Central Highlands, and 2750–3700 m in Wharton and Owen Stanley Ranges.

Movement

Presumably sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

Insects. Forages in canopy (c. 75% of observations) and in middle storey (c. 25%). Prey captured almost entirely by aerial flycatching.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song  a loud, deliberate “dad dad dad dad”.

Breeding

Eggs grey-brown with grey-brown spots, 22–24 × 15·8–17·8 mm. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Central Papuan Mountains EBA. Uncommon. Poorly known species.

Distribution of the Subalpine Robin - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Subalpine Robin

Recommended Citation

Boles, W. (2020). Subalpine Robin (Petroica bivittata), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.alprob1.01
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