The South Island Robin

Forest and Bird, Issue 96, 1 May 1950, Page 13

The South Island Robin

By

A. P. HARPER

TN appearance and size the South Island •A robin is very like his English namesake except that he has a yellow instead of a red breast. Because of this likeness our robin has inherited much of the sentiment and affection which tradition has built up for his British counterpart.

When robins were plentiful in the South in the old days, and to be seen in such numbers, they were looked upon as “such dear little things— friendly and tame.” Their fearlessness was taken for friendliness, and their beautiful song was assumed to be a “song of joy, etc.,” evidencing their happy nature.

This was quite a natural conclusion to the casual observer, especially if he remembered the Robin Redbreast of Britain-but old bushmen who studied this attractive little bird realised that he wasn’t, quite, such a sweet little chap as some believed.

In reality the South Island robin is a quarrelsome and rather vicious little fellow. A family of 4 or 5 seemed to spend most of their time fighting and squabblinga great contrast to the family harmony and self-denial of the wekas.

The robin’s song is as beautiful as any in the bush, but close observation seems to point to the fact that instead of being “a song of joy,” it is more often a challenge to others of his kind.

Its fearlessness is not friendliness, but simply a cheeky determination to take full advantage of its object’s assistance in exposing grubs.

When going along a bush track one used to be followed by several robins, squabbling

amongst themselves and so fearless that they were literally almost on one’s heels.

Observation showed that they were really watching for grubs exposed in the footsteps. They would dart in, pick up a grub and at once fly to a nearby tree and deposit it in the rough bark or moss for future use. They would go on for hours, so it is difficult to understand how they could remember where the food was “planted.”

Now, at first sight, this close and fearless attendance seems to prove the robin’s friendliness to man, but if a horse happens to come along the track, such a theory is shown to be wrong, for the birds will at once leave the man and follow the horse.

Why? Because the horse has four feet instead of a paltry two and can expose more grubs! So much for friendliness to man.

In the distant past when a camp was made in the bush a weka and a robin would come and settle down in the locality in order to benefit from any scraps of food. In each case the rule applied that “possession is nine points of the law,” for no other weka or robin was allowed to come near. Both birds were able to hold their claim against all comers.

The weka is “death on robins” and always ready to kill them, so it was interesting to watch how cleverly the robin avoided the many attempts of his enemy to catch him, and to observe the weka’s cunning manoeuvres to do so.