Family Old World Flycatchers and Chats (Muscicapidae)

Near Threatened

Okinawa Robin (Larvivora namiyei)

Taxonomy

French: Rossignol d’Okinawa German: Okinawanachtigall Spanish: Ruiseñor de Okinawa

Taxonomy:

Icoturus namiyei

Stejneger

, 1887,

#RNagogatake, Liu Kiu Islands, Japan

Hitherto treated as conspecific with L. komadori, but there is a deep genetic break between them#R and morphological differences suggesting higher taxonomic rank#R include its rufous vs black forehead (2); uniform pale greyish underparts vs purer white underparts with black blotches on flanks, merging and forming two patches (3); resident vs migratory behaviour (contra HBW for Amami population) (1); higher-pitched introductory notes to song (2), with wider frequency range for entire song (1)#R. Monotypic.

What do (1) and (2) mean? Learn more about the scoring system.

Distribution:

N Okinawa and adjacent Kerama Is, in C Ryukyu Is.

Descriptive notes

14 cm. Male has forehead (except thin band above bill) rich rufous, this colour extending to upperparts, wings and tail; lowermost forehead and face to breast black, rest of... read more

Voice

Song somewhat variable, often begins with one or more high-pitched notes, these followed by a short... read more

Habitat

Broadleaf evergreen forest. Inhabits damp dense undergrowth (ferns, bamboos, bushes) and ground... read more

Food and feeding

No information on diet. Forages on ground.

Breeding

Few data. Details considered likely to be similar to those given for L. komadori (which see).

Movements

Resident and largely sedentary, but there is some dispersal both N... read more

Status and conservation

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. Locally common on Okinawa. This species is thought to have a small population size, estimated to lie in the... read more

Bibliography

Recommended citation

del Hoyo, J., Collar, N., Christie, D.A. & Kirwan, G.M. (2019). Okinawa Robin (Larvivora namiyei). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/1344061 on 13 December 2019).

Scientific classification

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Muscicapidae

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In past, traditionally treated as an outsize family that also included expanded versions of Sylviidae, Timaliidae and Turdidae; these three were subsequently split off as three separate families, but still in much expanded form as compared to their current treatment. Since publication of HBW, limits of all these families have been dramatically rewritten due to a barrage of occasionally contradictory molecular data. Within present family problems remain, particularly due to incomplete taxon sampling, but near-complete screening to species level has now been attempted for at least a handful of genera (notably Oenanthe and Saxicola), and large elements of consensus have emerged, among them the recognition of four principal lineages, here treated as subfamilies. Most notable development involves transfer of many genera from Turdidae to present family, including Alethe, Cichladusa, Heteroxenicus, Brachypteryx, Heinrichia, Myophonus, Monticola, Thamnolaea, Myrmecocichla, Pogonocichla, Swynnertonia, Stiphrornis, Sheppardia, Cossypha, Xenocopsychus, Irania, Luscinia, Erithacus, Tarsiger, Cercotrichas, Copsychus, Phoenicurus, Saxicola and Oenanthe. Genetic sampling has also revealed extensive paraphyly, with the result that many species have switched genera. Some genera have disappeared completely into synonymy (e.g. Erythropygia), and others have shrunk to just one or two species (e.g. Luscinia), while a few have become substantially larger (e.g. Cercotrichas, Oenanthe).

Subfamily: Saxicolinae

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Apart from Vauriella and Ficedula, all genera previously placed in Turdidae.

Genus: Larvivora Hodgson, 1837

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Genus recently resurrected to resolve polyphyly in genus Luscinia (as traditionally constituted)#R #R; L. ruficeps (which, like several other members of this genus, has also been placed in Erithacus) confirmed recently to belong within Larvivora on basis of multiple characters, including genetics#R.

See full taxonomic structure and notes