The mangrove robin is a passerine bird in the family Petroicidae. It is found in the Aru Islands, New Guinea, and northern Australia. The bird's common name refers to its natural habitat. They live in mangrove forests and seldom fly outside these biomes.
Region
Australasia
Typical Environment
Found patchily along mangrove-lined coasts of northern Australia, southern New Guinea, and the Aru Islands. It inhabits dense stands of Rhizophora, Avicennia, and Sonneratia, especially along tidal creeks and estuary margins. Birds keep to low and mid strata, moving among trunks, prop roots, and tangles. They seldom range inland, though they may use adjacent coastal thickets or paperbark swamps where close to mangroves.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 50 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The mangrove robin is tightly tied to coastal mangrove forests and rarely ventures beyond them, making it a good indicator of mangrove ecosystem health. Pairs are territorial year‑round and often skulk low among roots and pneumatophores. Its clear, piping whistles carry well over tidal creeks. Coastal development and mangrove loss can affect local populations.
Dorsal view of Mangrove robin showing white in outer rectrices
Temperament
shy and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and direct through dense cover
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs that hold year‑round territories. Nests are compact cups placed low in mangrove forks or among tangles, usually above water. Clutches are small, and both adults participate in territory defense and care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of clear, piping whistles delivered from low perches, often repeated in steady phrases. Calls include sharp ticks and scolds used in close contact or alarm.
Plumage
Plain grey to brownish-grey above with paler grey to whitish underparts; throat often whitish and subtly contrasting with the breast. Plumage is smooth and unpatterned, giving a clean, uniform look. Tail shows pale edges when flicked.
Diet
Primarily small insects and other arthropods gleaned from bark, leaves, and the ground. It also takes spiders and occasionally small crustaceans along muddy margins. Foraging is deliberate, with short dashes to the ground or roots to seize prey. It may sally a short distance to take airborne insects in open gaps.
Preferred Environment
Feeds within dense mangrove understorey, among prop roots and pneumatophores, and along shaded creek banks. Often works linear edges of tidal channels and patches of leaf litter exposed at low tide.
