Visual Search | Wizard | Browse
Bird name:
Home| Search| Browser| Expert| Forum| Store| My WhatBird| Help| Site Map

Rufous-backed Robin

Turdus rufopalliatusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Thrushes (Turdidae)
Codes: Common Name: RBRO Scientific Name: TURRUP ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179771
Least Concern
 
Rufous-backed Robin Breeding Male
Copyright © 2004 - 2008 Whatbird.com






Rate this Illustration: Excellent Very Good Good
Fair Below Avg Poor

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Clingers Only Feeder
Weather resistant inexpensive feeder is ideal for small birds.
Suet Delight
Easy to hang and maintain, holds all kinds of packaged suet.
Ultimate Woodpecker Feeder
Only allows woodpeckers to feed made of Inland Cedar.
The No-No Copper Feeder
Beautiful copper feeder holds 2.5 lbs of sunflower seeds.
Attracting Clingers

Overview

Rufous-backed Robin: Large thrush, rufous back, gray head, rump, white throat with black streaks, breast and sides are rufous-orange. Undertail coverts, belly are white. Yellow bill has black tip. Wings are rufous with gray primaries. Gray tail. Swift, direct flight with rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Rufous-backed Robin: Native of Mexico; casual but regular visitor to the southwest U.S., most often reported from southeast Arizona, but also in southern California and southwest Texas.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"cheerup-chere-chere-cheerup", "chuk, chuk"

Interesting Facts

 The Rufous-backed Robin was first described in 1840 by Lafresnaye, a French ornithologist and collector.

 A group of robins are collectively known as a "worm" of robins.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Irina Rud-Volga

Splitbar
Range Map for Rufous-backed Robin

.
Family Thrush (Turdidae)_blue
Species Turdus rufopalliatus
Length9 - 10 Inches
Wingspan15.6 Inches

Rufous-backed Robin

Rufous-backed Robin: Large thrush, rufous back, gray head, rump, white throat with black streaks, breast and sides are rufous-orange. Undertail coverts, belly are white. Yellow bill has black tip. Wings are rufous with gray primaries. Gray tail. Swift, direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Song: "cheerup-chere-chere-cheerup", "chuk, chuk"

● Foraging & Feeding: Rufous-backed Robin: Eats mainly fruits, but also takes insects and worms. Forages in treetops or on the ground, where it hops and runs.

● Breeding & nesting: Rufous-backed Robin: Two to four white eggs with large red brown splotches are laid in a nest made of mud, rootlets, moss, and grass, lined with finer materials, and built in a tree or shrub. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Rufous-backed Robin: American Robin has gray-brown back, rump, and wing coverts, broken white eye-ring, black or brown head, gray-brown tail with white tail corners, rufous-red underparts, and white throat with black stripes.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Rufous-backed Robin Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Rufous-backed Robin: Native of Mexico; casual but regular visitor to the southwest U.S., most often reported from southeast Arizona, but also in southern California and southwest Texas.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationCasual to rare
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight2.7 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
Undertail covertsX
Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.
BellyX
The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
PrimariesX
The primaries are the flight feathers specialized for flight. They are attached to the "hand" equivalent part of the wing.
RumpX
The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Read more...
ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

Read more...
Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX