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Home | Bird Species Profiles | Introducing the Pekin Robin (Japanese Nightingale, Hill Tit, Red-Billed Leiothrix), Leiothrix lutea, Part 1

Introducing the Pekin Robin (Japanese Nightingale, Hill Tit, Red-Billed Leiothrix), Leiothrix lutea, Part 1

Posted by: Frank Indiviglio in Bird Species Profiles January 9, 2009 1 Comment 5709 Views

Pekin RobinI first made my acquaintance with Pekin robins while working for a bird importer, but did not really get to know them well until I again met up with them as a Bronx Zoo bird keeper.  Housing them in a large, mixed species aviary there, I was able to appreciate their many interesting behaviors.  They are always on the move…bathing, hunting and exploring, more so than most birds.

These beautiful little “babblers” (Family Sylviidae) have been kept by aviculturists for over 100 years, and it is easy to see why.  Pekin robins are a real delight to watch, especially if one can provide them with an outdoor aviary, and are far hardier than most “exotic softbills”.  Males sing beautifully but softly, and both sexes are attractively colored.

They are excellent starter birds for those looking to expand their bird-keeping horizons, but really should be kept in outdoor aviaries for at least part of the year.  They fly rather than climb about as do parrots, and cannot usually be released for exercise, and so do not adapt readily to confined quarters.

 

You can read more about the care and natural history of Pekin robins, including a note about an introduced population on Hawaii, at the web site of the Honolulu Zoo:

http://www.honoluluzoo.org/red-billed_leiothrix.htm

Image referenced from Wikipedia.

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About Frank Indiviglio

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I believe that I was born with an intense interest in animals, as neither I nor any of my family can recall a time when I was not fascinated by creatures large and small. One might imagine this to be an unfortunate set of circumstances for a person born and raised in the Bronx, but, in actuality, quite the opposite was true. Most importantly, my family encouraged both my interest and the extensive menagerie that sprung from it. My mother and grandmother somehow found ways to cope with the skunks, flying squirrels, octopus, caimans and countless other odd creatures that routinely arrived un-announced at our front door. Assisting in hand-feeding hatchling praying mantises and in eradicating hoards of mosquitoes (I once thought I had discovered “fresh-water brine shrimp” and stocked my tanks with thousands of mosquito larvae!) became second nature to them. My mother went on to become a serious naturalist, and has helped thousands learn about wildlife in her 16 years as a volunteer at the Bronx Zoo. My grandfather actively conspired in my zoo-buildings efforts, regularly appearing with chipmunks, boa constrictors, turtles rescued from the Fulton Fish Market and, especially, unusual marine creatures. It was his passion for seahorses that led me to write a book about them years later. Thank you very much, for a complete biography of my experience click here.
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