The Hooded Robin – a special bird of our woodlands

Many of our most iconic and familiar birds in the North East feature conspicuous black and white plumage, such as the cheeky Willie Wagtail, the scissor-grinding Restless Flycatcher, the ‘pee-wee’ Magpie-lark, and of course, the common Australian Magpie. However, one black and white species is considerably rarer and less well known than its plainly coloured counterparts – the Hooded Robin. Like all Australian robins, the Hooded Robin is not related at all to the European or American robin, instead being more closely linked with other uniquely Australian species such as fantails, whistlers, and fairy-wrens. Though they might lack the bright colours of some of our other ‘red’ robins, male Hooded Robins are rather boldly marked with a jet-black hood, back, and wings; and they have a prominent crisp white chest, belly, wing bars, and panels edging their tail. Females, however, are somewhat different in appearance, being largely grey overall, and their white underparts are not as bright; but they retain the same wing and tail markings as the males. These white wing and tail patterns are conspicuous when the birds are in flight and is often the easiest way to differentiate this species from other similar species, such as the Jacky Winter and female Flame and Scarlet Robins. Like so many of our other woodland birds in south-eastern Australia, the Hooded Robin population has declined significantly in recent decades. Although there are quite a few places in this region where the species can be encountered, it has all but disappeared from many other districts where it was once more common. Hooded Robins have special needs in that they require large patches of open woodland that are well connected. As a ground-feeding species, they rely on a healthy and complex layer of leaf-litter, scattered fallen timber, patches of open ground, and perennial native grasses and small shrubs. They also benefit from having patches of saplings and larger shrubs, such as wattles, scattered throughout, which they use for shelter and nesting. The conversion of native woodlands into open farming country right across vast areas of the Hooded Robins range is responsible for their decline, and there is considerable concern over the species’ ongoing existence in many rural landscapes. As such, it is listed as a threatened species in both Victoria and New South Wales. They are typically seen in pairs during the breeding season, but small groups may form in the autumn and winter. They are rather quiet and shy, but have a habit of perching on low, exposed branches, rocks and stumps, searching the ground nearby for prey, from which they pounce onto. Food consists largely of spiders, beetles, grubs, worms, moths, and various insects. Locally, Hooded Robins can be seen around the Warby Ranges, the Eldorado hills and the Lurg hills, favouring the more open woodland edges of larger forest areas. Thus, private land and timbered roadsides bordering places like the Warby Ranges are very important for the species.

The Hooded Robin – a special bird of our woodlands

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