Mallacoota Birds: Rose Robin

Posted byechidnawPosted inBird Of The Week, RobinsTags:, ,
Male Rose Robin, Mallacoota Tim van Leewun
Bird of the Week: Rose Robin 27 November 2020

The sweet whistle of the Rose Robin sounds to me like:


I’m going to East Gippsland!

I know they can be seen in other parts of Vic, NSW and even QLD but that ditty is stuck in my head.

Rose Robin East Gippsland Jack Winterbottom
male Rose Robin, East Gippsland by Jack Winterbottom
male Rose Robin, East Gippsland Rob Clay
male Rose Robin, East Gippsland by Rob Clay

In East Gippsland, telling ‘red’ robins apart can be tough – we get nearly all of them! Rosies like the wet forests, rainforests, melaleuca scrub and tall eucalypt forests. Flames like the open country, particularly high in the mountains in summer, Scarlets like the drier eucalypt forests. Pinks are rarer, and like really wet, mountain forests but can come down to the coast occasionally (though records of them in EG are few). Even Red-capped, an inland bird, come into East Gippsland occasionally.

You can easily tell a male Rose from Scarlet, Flame & Red-capped by the wing bar – Rose don’t have it (unless he’s a young male), all the others do. Females are much harder.

Female Rose Robin, East Gippsland Scott Roberts Echidna Walkabout
Female Rose Robin, East Gippsland by Scott Roberts

female Rose Robin, East Gippsland Rob Clay
female Rose Robin showing white outer tail feathers, East Gippsland by Rob Clay
Male Rose Robin Mallacoota Michael Barnett
Male Rose Robin, showing lack of wing bar, Mallacoota by Michael Barnett

Telling the male Rose and Pinks apart is not always easy. The Rose Robin is more common, has a slate grey head and back but that can look really dark in the rainforest! His breast is pink, and he has a variable extent of white belly, and pale undertail. His tail is a fraction longer than a Pink Robin, and it has white outer feathers.

male Rose Robin, East Gippsland Brett Howell Echidna Walkabout
male Rose Robin showing pink feathers on throat, East Gippsland by Brett Howell

male Rose Robin, East Gippsland by Brett Howell Echidna Walkabout
male Rose Robin looking very dark, East Gippsland by Brett Howell

Here’s a diagram to summarise.

Chart comparing Rose and Pink Robins, Janine Duffy
Chart comparing Rose and Pink Robins, by Janine Duffy
female Rose Robin, East Gippsland Rob Clay
female Rose Robin with extensive pink breast, East Gippsland by Rob Clay

The male Pink Robin has a very dark grey to black head and back, but in strong light that can look grey. The pink on his breast goes down to his belly, but the extent is variable and can depend on the angle. He sometimes has a faint buff wing bar, that can be hidden if his feathers are fluffed up. He has a fairly short tail, that looks mostly dark underneath.

male Pink Robin, Otways VIC Brett Howell Echidna Walkabout
Look how difficult it can be! From this angle he appears to have a white belly. Male Pink Robin, Otways VIC by Brett Howell Echidna Walkabout

In summary – look at the tail!

Rose Robin, East Gippsland Jack Winterbottom
male Rose Robin showing pale undertail, East Gippsland by Jack Winterbottom

LISTEN TO THE CALLS & scroll through to see lots of great pics here: https://ebird.org/species/rosrob1

Details: Rose Robin Petroica rosea

Location: eastern SA, VIC, NSW, southern QLD.

Conservation status/learn more: https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/Rose-Robin

Thanks to Jack Winterbottom, Rob Clay, Brett Howell, Scott Roberts and Tim van Leewen for your lovely pics.

male Rose Robin, East Gippsland Brett Howell Echidna Walkabout
male Rose Robin showing pink on throat, East Gippsland by Brett Howell

Published by echidnaw

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