Buff-sided Robin

1. Broad white eyebrow and dark hood

2. Buff-orange flanks contrasting with white underparts

3. Tail often held upright, showing white tips

This robin is an insectivore, hunting mainly by watching from a low perch and sallying to the ground to catch insects and spiders. Most foraging occurs close to the ground within dense cover. The breeding season runs from October to March, during the wet season. Females build a small, cup-shaped nest hidden in dense vegetation close to the ground, where they lay 2-3 eggs. Both parents feed the young. Buff-sided Robins are generally sedentary, with pairs maintaining territories along suitable stretches of water for years. While not currently threatened, their dependence on intact riparian vegetation makes them sensitive to habitat loss and changes to watercourses.

Buff-sided Robins are found in northern Australia, from the Kimberley in Western Australia, across the Northern Territory, and into the far northwest of Queensland. They are strongly tied to dense riparian habitatslook for them in thickets of freshwater mangrove, pandanus, bamboo, and paperbark along creeks and rivers. They rarely venture into open or dry woodlands, instead favouring closed-canopy vegetation near permanent water. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to observe their gentle calls and active foraging.