Melanodryas vittata
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The dusky robin (Melanodryas vittata) is a small passerine bird native to Tasmania. A member of the Australian robin family Petroicidae, it is known by many other names such as Dozey, Sad, Sleepy, Stump, Tasmania/Wood Robin; Native Sparrow or Sad Bird.
This sombre dark brown robin is characterised by a narrow line, starting from behind the eye to the rear of the ear-coverts and white bars running down it wings. The origin of its binomial name was derived from a Latin word vittatus, which means 'banded'.
The dusky robin was described by the French zoologists Jean Quoy and Joseph Gaimard in 1832 based on a specimen that the authors mistakenly believed had been collected in "le port du Roi-Georges, à la Nouvelle-Hollande", but that had actually come from Tasmania.
They coined the binomial name, Muscicapa vittata. It was known for many years as Petroica vittata before being placed in its current genus Melanodryas. Two subspecies are recognised, one on the Tasmanian mainland and the other on King Island. 'Stump robin' was a name given to it by early settlers from its habit of sitting on stumps or posts. Other local names include 'wood robin' and 'sad robin'.
The Australian... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Robin sighting in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park on a given day, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 34th most-seen of the 49 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March, September and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Robin in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, April–August and October, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dusky Robin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Dusky Robin sightings, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Maria Island National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Freycinet National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Petroicidae
The closest relatives of the Dusky Robin that you can see in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park (family Petroicidae, Australasian Robins) are Pink Robin (about 60%) and Flame Robin (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dusky Robin is recorded against all the birds logged in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park (39 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
