The
flame robin (
Petroica phoenicea) is a small
passerine bird native to Australia. It is a moderately common resident of the coolest parts of south-eastern Australia, including
Tasmania. It was first described by the French naturalists
Jean René Constant Quoy and
Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1830 and, like many brightly coloured
Australasian robins, it is
sexually dimorphic. Measuring 12 to 14 cm (5 to 6 in) long, the flame robin has dark brown eyes and a small thin black bill. The male has a brilliant orange-red chest and throat, and a white patch on the forehead above the bill. Its upper parts are iron-grey with white bars, and its tail black with white tips. The female is a nondescript grey-brown. It mostly breeds in and around the
Great Dividing Range, the Tasmanian highlands and islands in
Bass Strait. With the coming of cooler autumn weather, most birds disperse to lower and warmer areas. This male flame robin was photographed in
Jenolan Caves, New South Wales, Australia.
Photograph credit: John Harrison