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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Petroicidae
  4. ›
  5. Poecilodryas
  6. ›
  7. Buff-sided Robin
Buff-sided Robin
Photo · John Gould

BirdUp · Species

Buff-sided Robin

Poecilodryas cerviniventris(Gould, 1858)

Updated 9 April 2026

Origin: Endemic
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Petroicidae
Genus
Poecilodryas

At a glance

The Buff-sided Robin is a small bird, about 14–17 cm long, endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
14–17 cm
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Voice
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Buff-sided Robin look like?

The Buff-sided Robin is a small bird, about 14–17 cm long and weighing 16–26 g.

The buff-sided robin is a small, diurnal, insectivorous, perching (passerine) bird in the family Petroicidae, a group commonly known as the Australo-Papuan or Australasian robins. It is also known as the buff-sided fly-robin, buff-sided shrike-robin, and Isabellflankenschnäpper (German). The buff-sided robin is endemic to northern Australia, where it primarily occurs in riparian forests and monsoon vine thickets from the Kimberly region of Western Australia to the north-west Queensland Gulf of Carpentaria. The plumage of the adult birds is characterized by a dark hood and back with a prominent white stripe on the supercilium; a white throat, white wing and tail bars, and a striking buff to orange patch on the flank below the wings. Adult birds are not sexually dimorphic; however, males are generally larger and can be separated from females based on morphological measurements. Buff-sided robins predominantly take insects from the ground by sallying from an observational perch. Insects are also occasionally taken by hawking on the wing or by gleaning from the trunk or foliage of riparian vegetation.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
14–17 cm
Weight
15.5–25.5 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Buff-sided Robin?

The Buff-sided Robin is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

04 · Voice

What it sounds like

What sound does a Buff-sided Robin make?

Recordings of the Buff-sided Robin on BirdUp feature its song.

Sonogram of song

song · Quality A

JACOB Hervé · Mitchell Plateau, Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley, Western Australia, Australia

0:46
Sonogram of song

song · Quality A

JACOB Hervé · Mitchell Plateau, Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley, Western Australia, Australia

0:27

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Buff-sided Robin eat?

The Buff-sided Robin feeds on terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

4 photos

The BirdUp app

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Buff-sided Robin live in Australia?

The Buff-sided Robin is endemic to Australia, recorded across 17 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingNorth WA to north-west QLD (north-west and north-central Australia)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Vagrant
  • Non-breeding
  • Resident

4 regions recorded