The hooded robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae, it is sexually dimorphic; the male bears a distinctive black-and-white plumage, while the female is a nondescript grey-brown.
Region
Australia (mainland)
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across inland and southern mainland Australia, avoiding the densest forests and treeless deserts. It favors open eucalypt woodlands, acacia shrublands, mallee, mulga, and cypress-pine country with a sparse understory. Fallen logs, stumps, and low exposed branches are important as hunting perches. It is scarce or absent from heavily urbanized areas and closed rainforests. Local declines have been noted in fragmented agricultural landscapes.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The hooded robin practices a perch-and-pounce hunting style, dropping to the ground to seize prey before returning to a low, open perch. Males are strikingly black-and-white, while females are grey-brown and more cryptic. It is sensitive to habitat fragmentation and removal of fallen timber, which reduces foraging perches and nesting sites. Despite its bold contrasts, it often sits motionless and can be overlooked.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between low perches
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs that defend year-round territories. Pairs nest in a neat, cup-shaped nest placed in a fork or on a horizontal branch, often well concealed. The species shows strong site fidelity, with adults reusing favored foraging perches.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a soft, clear series of whistles and piping phrases delivered from exposed perches. Calls include sharp ticks and high, thin contact notes, more frequent at dawn and during the breeding season.
Plumage
Male with a glossy black head, back, and throat (a 'hood'), contrasting white underparts and a bold white wing patch; tail black with white outer edges. Female is grey-brown above with paler underparts, a faint whitish wing bar, and less contrast overall. Both sexes have relatively plain, soft-textured plumage suited to open woodland camouflage.
Diet
Primarily hunts ground-dwelling and low-vegetation arthropods such as beetles, spiders, caterpillars, and ants. It occasionally takes small skinks or other invertebrates when available. Prey is captured by a quick drop to the ground or a short sally from a perch, then swallowed whole.
Preferred Environment
Feeds at woodland edges, along fence lines, and in open patches with scattered shrubs and abundant fallen timber. Low, open perches such as stumps, posts, and dead branches are essential for its watch-and-wait foraging.
