Rufous-tailed Robin Larvivora sibilans Scientific name definitions

13–14 cm. Plumage is warm mid-brown above, with rufous lower rump and tail , whitish below, with delicate grey-tinged mid-brown scaling on throat or throat side and across mid-breast, buffy flanks; buffy-white eyering and preocular supercilium; bill blackish to brown, legs pinkish-brown. Sexes similar, female marginally paler. Juvenile is like adult, but with ochre subterminal spots and dark edgings of feathers above, ochre-tinged underparts.

C & E Siberia from R Ob and upper R Yenisey E to S Russian Far East, N & C Sakhalin, C Kamchatka and NE China (N Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang), possibly also S Kuril Is and NE Korea; non-breeding S & SE China (SE Tibet and S Yunnan E to Guangdong), Hainan, Laos and N & C Vietnam.

Migrant. Autumn passage in Russia begins late Aug, but in Korean Peninsula and at Beidaihe (NE China) occurs late Sept to mid-Oct, with return in May (Korea). Main influx into Hong Kong mid-Nov, smaller numbers remaining over winter, and spring peak in early Apr. Spring return in Russia mid-May into early Jun. Rare or irregular on passage in Japan. Scarce to fairly common winter visitor, but never in large numbers, in N Thailand, Laos and N & C Vietnam. Vagrants recorded in Oct 2004 in Britain (Fair Isle, in Shetland Is) and in Dec 2005 in Poland (Bialystok, Podlaskie) (1 Haas, M. (2012). Extremely Rare Birds in the Western Palearctic. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ).

Beetles, ants, spiders, etc. Forages mainly on ground .

Song, at height of breeding season given also at night, a series of identical phrases consisting of a very loud, accelerating, slightly downslurring silvery trill, “tiuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwwwww”, resembling neigh of distant colt. Calls include single whistle in alarm, and clinking “chok-chok” by parents with brood.

Jun–Jul in Russia. Nest a cup of old leaves, moss, grass stems and pine needles, lined with fine stems and rootlets, placed generally low down (once 15 m up) in tree hole, or on stump. Eggs 5–6, plain pale blue or bluish-grey with brown spots. No other information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Generally fairly common over extensive range in Russia (Siberia to Far East), but somewhat patchy owing to habitat requirements. Not proven to breed in N Korea and, if confirmed, unlikely to be numerous there, but common in adjacent parts of SE Russia. Uncommon in China.