Petroica phoenicea
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The flame robin (Petroica phoenicea) is a small passerine bird native to Australia. It is a moderately common resident of the coolest parts of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Like the other two red-breasted Petroica robins—the scarlet robin and the red-capped robin—it is often simply called the robin redbreast. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae, it is sexually dimorphic. Measuring 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) long, the flame robin has dark brown eyes and a small thin black bill. The male has a brilliant orange-red chest and throat, and a white patch on the forehead above the bill. Its upper parts are iron-grey with white bars, and its tail black with white tips. Female coloration is a muted grey-brown. Its song has been described as the most musical of its genus.
The position of the flame robin and its Australian relatives on the passerine family tree is unclear; the Petroicidae are not closely related to either the European or American robins, but appear to be an early offshoot of the Passerida group of songbirds. The flame robin is predominantly insectivorous, pouncing on prey from a perch in a tree, or foraging on the ground. A territorial bird, the flame robin employs song and plumage displays to mark out and defend its territory. It is classified by BirdLife International as least concern. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Flame Robin sighting in Great Otway National Park on a given day, based on 150 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 104th most-seen of the 175 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–April, August and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Flame Robin in Great Otway National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–July, September–October and December–February, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Flame 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.
5th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Flame Robin sightings, Great Otway National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Maria Island National Park (Australia, about 70%), Kosciuszko National Park (Australia, about 40%) and Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same genus: Petroica
The closest relatives of the Flame Robin that you can see in Great Otway National Park (genus Petroica, Typical Australasian Robins) are Scarlet Robin (about 10%), Pink Robin (about 10%) and Rose Robin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Flame Robin is recorded against all the birds logged in Great Otway National Park (150 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.
