Pale-yellow robin

The pale-yellow robin was formally described in 1854 as Eopsaltria capito by the English ornithologist John Gould based on a specimen collected near the Brisbane River in Queensland, Australia. The specific epithet is from Latin meaning "big-headed". The pale-yellow robin was formerly usually placed in the genus Tregellasia, but based on a 2011 molecular genetic study by Les Christidis and coworkers, Tregellasia was merged into a more broadly defined Eopsaltria. Like all Australian robins, it is not closely related to either the European robin or the American robin, but belongs rather to the Corvida parvorder, comprising many tropical and Australian passerines, including pardalotes, fairy-wrens and honeyeaters, as well as crows. Alternate common names given to the species have been large-headed robin and pale robin. Subspecies Two subspecies are recognised: It is smaller than the southern subspecies, and its subspecific name nana is Latin for 'dwarf'. It has a pale tan face and a pale orange-brown eye ring, hence its common name. It is fairly abundant within its range. ==Description==

The male and female pale-yellow robin are similar in plumage. Measuring and weighing , it is a bird of subdued appearance, with a grey head and nape blending into olive-green upperparts, more brownish on the wings and tail. The throat is white, and the lores are off-white in the southern race and buff in the northern race. The breast and belly are yellow. The legs are yellow-orange and the iris dark brown. The thin black bill is around long. Juvenile birds are rufous with paler streaks on the head. The pale-yellow robin makes a trilling call when displaying or defending its territory. ==Distribution and habitat==

Sedentary in its range, the pale-yellow robin is found from Mount Amos to Paluma in North Queensland, and from Cooloola on the Sunshine Coast south to Barrington Tops National Park in New South Wales. It prefers rainforests or dense eucalypt forests, particularly where the lawyer vine grows. ==Behaviour==

The pale-yellow robin is arboreal and secretive. It is predominantly insectivorous, though may supplement its diet with seeds. The nest may be anywhere up to 10 m (30 ft) above the ground, though often much lower. Breeding season is July to December with one, or sometimes two, broods. A clutch of 2 oval eggs, measuring , is laid. They are pale green, splotched with brownish marks. ==References==