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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Perching Birds (Order Passeriformes)

-Thrushes (Family Turdidae)

-Typical Thrushes (Genus Turdus)

-Rufous-backed Robin (Turdus rufopalliatus)


The Rufous-Backed Robin (Turdus rufopalliatus) is a medium-sized songbird that is found in the mountainous regions of Central America and Mexico. It has a brown body, rufous back, and white throat. Its diet consists of insects, berries, and other fruits. The Rufous-Backed Robin has a very active behavior, often seen hopping around the ground in search of food and perching on branches. It inhabits the edges of forests and woodlands, as well as open grasslands and scrublands.

Rufous-backed Robin

Turdus rufopalliatus

Diet

  • Omnivorous, feeding on a wide variety of insects, including beetles, ants, caterpillars, termites, grasshoppers, and spiders.

  • Also consumes earthworms, snails, berries, figs, and many other small fruits, particularly during the dry season.

  • Forages mainly on the ground by hopping through leaf litter, but also feeds in shrubs and fruiting trees.

Range

  • Endemic to western Mexico, occurring along the Pacific slope from southern Sonora through Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, and into western Oaxaca.

  • Common in the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a year-round resident.

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, woodland edges, semi-open forests, riparian woodland, plantations, parks, gardens, orchards, and suburban areas, generally from sea level to about 2,200 m.

Male / Female

  • Male: Slate-gray head, throat, and breast; rich rufous back and wings; orange eye ring; whitish belly; and a yellow bill with a darker tip. Slightly larger and more brightly coloured than the female.

  • Female: Very similar but generally duller, with browner-gray head and breast and less vivid rufous upperparts.

  • Juveniles: Brown with buff spotting on the breast and upperparts before moulting into adult plumage.

  • Sexes are similar, but males are typically brighter and slightly larger.

Size

  • Length: 22–24 cm (8.7–9.4 in)

  • Wingspan: 34–38 cm (13.4–15.0 in)

  • Weight: 65–90 g (2.3–3.2 oz)

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