Hooded Robin

1. Males have a black hood and back with bright white underparts and a bold white wing stripe.

2. Females are brown-grey above with a pale throat and belly, but still show white wing and tail markings.

3. Both sexes perch upright on low branches or stumps, often returning to the same spot after foraging.

These robins are primarily insectivorous, hunting by pouncing from perches to the ground to catch arthropods and other small prey. They breed from July or August to November or December, with females building a cup-shaped nest of grass, bark, and spider web in low tree forks or hollows. Clutch sizes are usually two to three eggs, with females incubating and males feeding them. Hooded Robins are known for cooperative breeding, with “helpers” sometimes assisting in feeding nestlings and fledglings. Their quiet trills and clear, piping whistles are most often heard at dawn, dusk, and even on bright moonlit nights. Habitat loss and predation have led to declines in some regions, making them less common in areas where woodlands have been heavily cleared.

Hooded Robins inhabit lightly timbered woodland and shrubland across much of inland and southern mainland Australia, especially in areas with acacia, eucalypt, or mixed woodlands near open ground. They are absent from Cape York, the eastern Gulf of Carpentaria, Tasmania, and the Nullarbor Plain. Look for them perched on low, exposed branches or fence posts, especially at dawn and dusk when they are most active. They are generally sedentary, so once a pair is found, they are likely to remain in the area.