CreatureData

Flame robin

Petroica phoenicea Gould, 1837

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The flame robin (Petroica phoenicea) is a species in the family Petroicidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 13 g to 13.8 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Flame robin (Petroica phoenicea)
Photo: Tim Collins · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the flame robin

Weight
13 g – 13.8 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
3.25 – 3.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the flame robin live?

Not recorded

What is the flame robin?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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.

From the Wikipedia article “Flame robin” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flame_robin&oldid=1371443596), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the flame robin endangered?

The flame robin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the flame robin classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyPetroicidae
  6. genusPetroica
  7. SpeciesPetroica phoenicea Gould, 1837

Synonyms Littlera phoenicea tasmanica, Petroica chrysoptera addenda, Petroica phoenicea albicans

Other names and names in other languages (30)
  • petroica ardentCatalan
  • Papamosques pit-roigCatalan
  • lejsčík ohnivýCzech
  • robin fflamliwWelsh
  • Flamme SangfluesnapperDanish
  • FlammenbrustschnäpperGerman
  • flama petroikoEsperanto
  • Petroica flamígeraSpanish
  • leekmiroEstonian
  • liekkisieppoFinnish
  • Miro embraséFrench
  • plamenoprsi batićCroatian
  • tüzesbegyű cinegelégykapóHungarian
  • Balia di fiammaItalian
  • Petroica di fiammaItalian
  • Petroica flammeaItalian
  • ノドアカサンショクヒタキJapanese
  • liepsnakrūtė petroikaLithuanian
  • VuurbuikvliegenvangerDutch
  • flammeflueskvettNorwegian
  • skalinek czerwonogardłyPolish
  • papinho-flamígeroPortuguese
  • petróica-flamejantePortuguese
  • Огненногрудая петроикаRussian
  • mucholovka ohniváSlovak
  • flamsydhakeSwedish
  • Alevli BülbülTurkish
  • тоутоваї вогнистийUkrainian
  • 火紅鴝鶲Chinese
  • 火红鸲鹟Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the flame robin

Other species in the same genus Petroica.

LC, Least Concern
Pink robin (Petroica rodinogaster)

Pink robin

Petroica rodinogaster

Petroicidae

LC, Least Concern
Tomtit (Petroica macrocephala)

Tomtit

Petroica macrocephala

Petroicidae

LC, Least Concern
Rose robin (Petroica rosea)

Rose robin

Petroica rosea

Petroicidae

CompareFlame robin vs Black robinFlame robin vs Pink robinFlame robin vs South island robinFlame robin vs Red-capped robin

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the flame robin?

An adult flame robin weighs 13 g – 13.8 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the flame robin endangered?

The flame robin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the flame robin?

The flame robin (Petroica phoenicea) belongs to the family Petroicidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Flame robin (Petroica phoenicea). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/flame-robin

MLA

“Flame robin (Petroica phoenicea).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/flame-robin.

BibTeX
@misc{flame_robin_2026,
  title = {Flame robin (Petroica phoenicea)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/flame-robin},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}