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Top Left: Uncoloured PINK ROBIN (Petroica Rodinogaster). from a Colour Transparency by D

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Top Left: Uncoloured PINK ROBIN (Petroica Rodinogaster). from a Colour Transparency by D 2 THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST PHOTOGRAPHS: Top left: Uncoloured PINK ROBIN (Petroica rodinogaster). From a colour transparency by D. B. Mack. Top right: Uncoloured RED-CAPPED ROBIN (Petroica goodenovii). Bottom left: Uncoloured ROSE ROBIN (Petroica rosea). See page 19. From colour transparencies by J. & D. Paton. THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST 19 THE PINK AND ROSE ROBINS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA By JOAN PATON, DAVID PATON and MAX WATERMAN Since 1962 three new State records have savannah at Culburra in the upper S.E. of been obtained of the so-called Flycatcher S.A. (It is worth noting that on the same group of passerines, as well as confirmation stay in this area another visitor from the of the presence of another not definitely re­ Eastern States, the Yellow-tipped Pardalote corded for nearly 130 years (apart from (Pardalotus striatus), a new record for South sight records). Australia, was caught and banded and a Reports of two of these, the Leaden (1) specimen obtained for the S.A. Museum (6).) and Satin (2) Flycatchers have already been The widely different habitats in which published and this paper records the pre­ these three robins were found supports our sence of the Pink and Rose Robins. The belief that they were migrating. astounding thing about two of these species, ROSE ROBIN (Petroica rosea) the Rose Robin and Leaden Flycatcher, is The Rose Robin is primarily a bird of that they were both caught in a mist net in southern Queensland and northern New a suburban garden 4t miles S.E. of the Ade­ laide G.P.O., and it is believed that Gould's South Wales but its range extends to Vic­ specimen of the Pink Robin was probably toria and it has been known to breed in the collected in 1839 from Waterfall Gully only Otway Peninsula west of Melbourne. In about a mile east of this garden. Queensland it breeds mainly in therain fo­ rests and in the autumn and winter moves PINK ROBIN (Petroica rodinogaster) into open forest country and is often found Gould visited S.A. between May and Au­ in suburban' gardens or far from its nesting gust 1839 (not1838 as sometimes stated) and haunts. No specimens have been taken in later wrote in reference to the Pink Robin­ S.A. "In one instance only did I meet with it on Towards the last week of August, 1967, a the continent, in a steep ravine under Mt. small uncoloured robin was seen first by Da­ Lofty in S.A. I shot the specimen which on vid Paton in the garden at 1 Dashwood dissection proved to be a young male." (3). Road, Beaumont. Superficially this looked Since then only unconfirmed sight records like a female Red-capped Robin (P. goode­ have been reported from S.A. (4), (5), but novii), and since this species used to breed no specimens have been taken. However, in this garden up until the 1930s, no parti­ though primarily a Tasmanian bird it winters cular effort was made to look at the bird in substantial numbers in Victoria and occa­ carefully in the field. On August 24, how­ sionally breeds there. ever, the bird was caught in a mist-net and On May 20, 1963, Max Waterman while we were surprised to find that there was no banding with D. B. Mack at Woolly's Lake suggestion of a red or tan cap, but the head in the lower S.E. of S.A. caught two un­ was grey-brown with a small off-white patch coloured robins in one of the mist nets in on the forehead, and the breast had a few dense tea-tree surrounding the edge of the bright magenta pink feathers (between lake. At first these were thought to be Flame Tyrian Rose and Rose Red in Ridgeway's Robins, but as they seemed atypical, two Colour Standard). It was an immature bird colour transparencies were taken which on still with traces of a yellowish gape and was examination showed the two prominent ru­ presumably a young male. In general ap­ fous bands on the wing and the absence of pearance it looked most like a female Rose white on the outside of the tail, indicating Robin in Mathew's Birds of Australia (7), ex­ that the birds were Pink Robins. The Flame cept for the magenta pink feathers which Robin (Petroica phoenicea) has white on the matched those of the male bird, and the side of the tail and a white speculum on the browner back. Unfortunately Mathews does wing. not give any description of the immature In September of the same year another male Rose Robin. similar uncoloured. robin was caught in open Because we (J.P. and D.P.) were un- 20 THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST familiar with the Flame Robin in the hand, Lofty was a coloured male, he states that on and because there are no known records of dissection it proved to be a young male Pink the Rose Robin in S.A. we at first assumed Robin. Most South Australians have had that this must somehow be a Flame Robin. little opportunity of studying either of these Photographs were taken and the bird banded two species and in the field would therefore and released. be likely to record them as the more common Examination of skins at the S.A. Museum Flame Robin. collection convinced us that it was not a Our experience emphasises the value of Flame Robin, which is in any case a much mist-netting for confirming identifications, bigger bird. The absence of head colour the need. for more careful and critical field ruled out the Red-capped Robin, while the examination and for comprehensive field white on the tail and the wrong wing pat­ guides. tern eliminated the Pink Robin, and we were That the first record of two different fly­ left with the only alternative of a Rose catchers should come from the same Ade­ Robin. laide suburban garden must surely indicate At our request the colour slides were that their presence elsewhere has been over­ examined by Dr. Alan Lendon and then looked and that the young flycatcher tends sent to Mr. Claude Austin who confirmed to move considerable distances from its pa­ the identification stating that it was a typical rental area. If the movement of these species immature male Rose Robin. '\"1e are grateful into S.A. is not a regular occurrence, then, for their help and that of Mr. H. T. Con­ apart from freak weather at the time of mi­ don, Curator of Birds, S.A. Museum. gration, two other factors might influence the Other particulars of this bird include:­ extent of migration. First, exceptionally dry gape, trace yellow; pale yellowish orbital ring conditions in the birds' usual haunts so that extending towards the bill; a small cream young birds have to forage further afield and patch on the forehead; chin pale grey (paler second, exceptionally good breeding condi­ than the head); cream on the outer edge of tions so that more young are reared, and the flight feathers towards the tip and a over a longer period causing over-crowding, cream band near the base; all but the centre or subjecting the later broods to different tail feathers obliquely tipped white and out­ weather conditions. Perhaps the recent side tail feather white; legs dull brown, toes droughts in N.S.W. and Victoria have been yellow; weight 10 gms; length 120 mm. (by in part responsible for unusually extensive comparison four Red-capped Robins- were movements of these birds. It is more of a 8-8.5 gms. 120 mm., 17 Scarlet Robins were "coincidence that Gould in his introduction 11-18 gms. (mostly 13-15 gms.), 125-140 to his Handbook to the Birds of Australia mm.). mentions 'the parched plains of the interior We left Beaumont the next day (August during the severe drought of 1838-39.' 26) and the bird has not been seen since our Photographs of uncoloured birds of three return on September 4. species of Robin, the Pink, Rose and Red­ It is worth putting on record that since capped, are reproduced on page 2. about 1945 we have seen neither the Scarlet REFERENCES nor the Red-capped Robins at Beaumont, 1. Paton, D. C., Emu, 64 (1965), 320. though prior to that both species used to 2. Condon, H. T., S. Aust. Ornith., 24 (1965), .' breed here. The only exception was the 71. appearance of a small uncoloured robin in 3. Gould, J., Handbook to the Birds of Australia, the zarden over a period of two or' three 1 p. 276 as quoted' by J. B. Cleland in The weel~ Emu, 36 (1937), p. 203. in May 1966, and believed at the time 4. McGilp, J. N., S. Aust. Ornith., 17 (1945), 81. to be a young Red-capped Robin although 5. Thomas, D. A..G., Ibid 19 (1948), 5. colour on the head was not apparent. 6. Waterman, M. H., and H. T. Condon, Emu, 64 (1965), 298. COMMENT 7. Mathews, G. M., Birds of Australia, 8 p. 82. It now appears that occasionally the Pink EDITOR'S NOTE and Rose Robins do occur as migrants in It is of interest that on the same day that the South Australia, and that, as with the Flame Rose Robin was captured at Beaumont (August 24, 1967), David Williams saw a male robin at Robin these are mainly uncoloured birds. Darwent's Waterhole (25 m. south of Keith on the Although it is commonly believed that .
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