Facts about the black robin Black robin The black robin is a small (~10 cm high) songbird with completely black plumage.

'Old Blue,' one of seven birds rescued from Little Mangere in Old Blue was one of the longest-lived robins known, reaching 14 years of age.

History The Black Robin or Chatham Island Robin (Petroica traversi) is an endangered bird from the Chatham Islands off the east coast of New Zealand. It is closely related to the New Zealand Robin (P. australis). It was first described by Walter Buller in 1872.[1] Unlike its mainland counterparts, its flight capacity is somewhat reduced. Evolution in the absence of mammalian predators made it vulnerable to introduced species such as cats and rats, and it became extinct on the main island of the Chatham group before 1871, being restricted to Little Mangere Island thereafter

A Story Of Survival For hundreds of years the black robin has lived on the Chatham Islands, making their homes on many of the islands. But by 1900, after people had settled on some of the islands the black robin could only be found on Little Mangere Island. Little Mangere Island is small and has cliffs about 200 metres tall – making it safe from people and animal enemies. This harsh place was safe from predators but was so small and wind-swept that it was not an easy place for the black robins to live and breed. In fact the island was battered so badly by the wind that it was eroding away and the black robin’s food and shelter was disappearing. The black robin’s tiny wings were not strong enough for them to fly away to find another home. In 1972 wildlife officers could find only 18 black robins living on Little Mangere Island! In 1976 there were only seven birds left and they were all moved to Mangere Island where the bush was healthier and where 120,000 new trees had been planted. The members of Forest and Bird had helped to buy Mangere Island and the trees that were planted there so the black robin would have a better home. A Story Of Survival

Black Robin Breeding The female robin will make the nest and while she lays and incubates the eggs the male will feed the female so she can rest. Black robins like to nest in hollow trees and tree stumps. Eggs are laid between early October and late December. A second clutch may be laid if the first is unsuccessful. Generally two eggs are laid but it is sometimes just one, or maybe three. Eggs are creamy in colour with purple splotches. When the eggs are laid the female will sit on them to keep them warm until they hatch in about 18 days. Then both parents will help to feed the chicks. Chicks often spend the first day or two, after leaving the nest, on the ground – a dangerous place to be for a defenceless chick if there are enemies around! Young robins stay in the nest for about 23 days after hatching, but even after leaving the nest the parents will continue to feed them until they are about 65 days old. This is much longer than other birds of the black robins size.