Robin Accentor

Overview

The robin accentor (Prunella rubeculoides) is a large accentor found in the mountainous regions of South and Central Asia. It is a non-migratory species that is generally considered common in parts of its range and is assessed as 'least concern' by the IUCN.

Identification

• A brown bird with a grey head and an orange-red breast.
• Approximately 17 cm in length with a slender, sharply-pointed beak.
• Upper parts are brown streaked with black, the belly is pale buff, and wing coverts have white tips.
• The song is musical, rendered as 'si-tsi-si-tsi-tsu-tsitsi', and the call is a high trill or a repeated 'tszi tszi'.

Habitat

Native to mountainous regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China, typically at altitudes between 3,000 and 5,500 m. It is a non-migratory species usually resident above the tree-line but below the snowline, often found on the ground in grassland, scrub, or stony areas near human habitations.

Diet

The robin accentor mostly forages on the ground for insects, other invertebrates, and seeds. Small groups of birds may feed together.

Did you know?

A female often mates with several males, and each male attempts to remove any sperm already present in her cloaca before mounting her.