Rose Robins

5 things you may or may not know about
Rose Robins

1. Unlike most Australian robins, Rose Robins do not generally pounce onto the ground to catch insect prey; rather, they often flutter about the treetops like a fantail to pluck it from the foliage or snatch it in the air
2. Rose Robins often undertake regular migration; some disperse southwards in the springtime, though others head to higher elevations in the mountains instead, returning northwards or to lower elevations in autumn and winter
3. Rose Robins spend the warmer months in moist eucalypt forests, where they nest in shrubs, often in densely vegetated gullies
4. The Rose Robin makes one of Australia’s neatest nests, being a compact cup made from moss, bark and plant fibres, all tightly bound together with spider webs and decorated with lichen
5. Rose Robin nests are sometimes parasitised by various species of cuckoos, including the Pallid Cuckoo, which is about three times larger than a robin!

Rose Robin Photographed by: Rob Solic