Robin Accentor Prunella rubeculoides Scientific name definitions

16–17 cm; 23 g. Has gray head and throat and brown upperparts with dark streaking on mantle and back; wings and tail grayish-brown, with two pale wingbars; breast and breast side rufous, belly and vent cream-colored, with rufous-brown streaks on lower flanks; iris reddish-brown; bill dark gray to blackish; legs dull red-brown . Sexes alike. Juvenile has dark streaks on head and neck, buff breast with dark streaks, diffusely streaked flanks.

Geographical variation slight; proposed subspecies muraria (described from northwestern Kashmir) is recognized following Rasmussen and Anderton (1 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ), while beicki (from northern Gansu, in north-central China) is considered a synonym of nominate fusca (as in 2 Ripley, S. D. (1964). Family Prunellidae. In Check-List of Birds of the World: a Continuation of the Work of James L. Peters (E. Mayr and R. A. Paynter, Jr., Editors). Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. pp. 3-12 Close ). Some authorities (e.g., 3 del Hoyo, J., and N. J. Collar (2016). HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ) consider morphological variation too slight to recognize any subspecies, and treat Prunella rubeculoides as monotypic.

Himalayas (from eastern Gilgit and Baltistan east to Bhutan and southern and southeastern Tibet east to northeastern Qinghai, northern Gansu, and western Sichuan.

Breeds in damp, boggy areas of scrub, particularly willow (Salix), and tussock grasses, often adjacent to lakes and streams in valley bottoms; usually at 3,500–5,500 m, but down to 3,000 m in places (Suru Valley, in Ladakh). In winter, still found to 5,000 m but also at lower elevations, down to 2,700 m in Ladakh and, in India, to 2,500 m (Sikkim) and even as low as 1,000 m (Himachal Pradesh). Preference for bare, stony, and rocky habitats in winter, when frequently found near human habitation.

Resident; some post-breeding movement to lower elevations, details unknown.

Small seeds and invertebrates, perhaps including small crustaceans; seeds predominate in winter. Forages on ground, usually in open grassy places ; commonly in small flocks in winter months.

Short sweet song , described as “si-tsi-si-tsi-tsu-tsitsi,” may accompany collective display by males; usual call a metallic trill.

Season May–August; double-brooded. No information on mating system or parental roles in breeding; collective display involving fluttering flight by several males. Nest a bulky cup of grass and moss, lined with fur, hair, or feathers, usually sited on ground among clumps of sedge, occasionally in hollow in bank or in low vegetation bordering stream. Clutch 3–5 eggs; chicks fed by both adults; no information on incubation and fledging periods.

Not globally threatened. Fairly common in suitable habitat through much of range. No estimates of numbers available. Local in Pakistan, common only on Deosai Plateau; uncommon in Bhutan. Locally rather uncommon in China.