Editing European robin (section)

== Taxonomy and systematics ==
The European robin was described by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1758 in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th edition]] of his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' under the [[Binomial nomenclature|binomial name]] ''Motacilla rubecula''.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Linnaeus| first=Carolus | author-link=Carl Linnaeus|title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata.|publisher=Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii) | year=1758 | volume=1 |page=188 | language=la | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727097 | quote=M. grisea, gula pectoreque fulvis.}}</ref> Its [[Specific epithet (zoology)|specific epithet]] ''rubecula'' is a diminutive derived from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|ruber}}, meaning 'red'.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Simpson|first=D.P.|title=Cassell's Latin Dictionary|publisher=Cassell Ltd.|year=1979|edition=5th|location=London, UK|page=883|isbn=978-0-304-52257-6}}</ref><ref>{{L&S|ruber|ref}}</ref> The genus ''[[Erithacus]]'' was described by French naturalist [[Georges Cuvier]] in 1800, giving the bird its current binomial name ''E. rubecula''.<ref>{{ cite book | last1=Mayr | first1=Ernst | last2=Paynter | first2=Raymond A. Jr. | year=1964 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 10 | volume=10 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=32 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14486221 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | last=Cuvier | first=George | author-link=Georges Cuvier | year=1800 | title=Leçons d'anatomie comparée. Volume 1 | publisher=L'Institute National des Sciences et des Arts | at=Table 2 | url=http://docnum.u-strasbg.fr/cdm/ref/collection/coll13/id/175485 | language=fr }} (The year is given on the title page as "VIII" in the [[French Republican Calendar]])</ref> The [[genus]] name ''Erithacus'' is from [[Ancient Greek]]<ref>{{LSJ|e)ri/qakos|ἐρίθακος|ref}}.</ref> and refers to an unknown bird, now usually identified as robin.<ref>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A. | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher=Christopher Helm | location = London, United Kingdom | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=149}}</ref>

The genus ''Erithacus'' was formerly classified as a member of the [[Thrush (bird)|thrush]] family (Turdidae) but is now known to belong to the [[Old World flycatcher]] family [[Muscicapidae]]. The genus formerly included the [[Japanese robin]] and the [[Ryukyu robin]], but these east Asian species were shown in [[molecular phylogenetic]] studies to be more similar to a group of other Asian species than to the European robin;<ref>{{cite journal | last =Seki | first =Shin-Ichi| year =2006| title=The origin of the East Asian ''Erithacus'' robin, ''Erithacus komadori'', inferred from cytochrome ''b'' sequence data | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution| volume =39 | issue =3 | pages =899–905 | doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2006.01.028 | pmid =16529957}}</ref><ref name="sangster2010">{{cite journal | last1=Sangster | first1=G. | last2=Alström | first2=P. | last3=Forsmark | first3=E. | last4=Olsson | first4=U. | year=2010 | title=Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae) | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=57 | issue=1 | pages=380–392 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.008 | pmid=20656044}}</ref> in a reorganisation of the genera, the Japanese and the Ryukyu robins were moved to the resurrected genus ''[[Larvivora]]'' leaving the European robin as the sole member of ''Erithacus''.<ref name="ioc">{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | year=2016 | title=Chats, Old World flycatchers | work=World Bird List Version 6.2 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/chats/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union| access-date=20 May 2016 }}</ref> A 2010 phylogenetic analysis placed ''Erithacus'' in a subfamily (Cossyphinae Vigors, 1825, syn. Erithacinae G. R. Gray, 1846) which otherwise contained only African species, but its exact position with respect to the other species in that subfamily was not resolved.<ref name="sangster2010" /> More detailed analysis in 2023 confirmed it to be the sole European member of this tropical African subfamily, in which it is in a basal position.<ref name="Zhao2023">{{cite journal | last=Zhao | first=Min | last2=Gordon Burleigh | first2=J. | last3=Olsson | first3=Urban | last4=Alström | first4=Per | last5=Kimball | first5=Rebecca T. | title=A near-complete and time-calibrated phylogeny of the Old World flycatchers, robins and chats (Aves, Muscicapidae) | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=178 | date=2023 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107646 | doi-access=free | page=107646}}</ref>

=== Subspecies ===
In their large continental Eurasian range, robins vary somewhat, but do not form discrete populations that might be considered [[subspecies]].<ref name=Dietzen>{{cite journal|last1=Dietzen|first1=Christian|last2=Witt|first2=Hans-Hinrich|last3=Wink|first3=Michael|year=2003|title=The phylogeographic differentiation of the robin ''Erithacus rubecula'' on the Canary Islands revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequence data and morphometrics: evidence for a new robin taxon on Gran Canaria?|url=http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/2003/3.2003.pdf|journal=Avian Science|volume=3|issue=2–3|pages=115–131}}</ref><ref name=Patzold95>{{Cite book|title=Das Rotkehlchen ''Erithacus rubecula''. Neue Brehm-Bücherei|author=Pätzold, R.|year=1995|publisher=Westarp Wissenschaften/Spektrum|location=Magdeburg/Heidelberg|isbn=978-3-89432-423-0|language=de}}</ref> Robin subspecies are mainly distinguished by forming resident populations on islands and in mountainous areas. The robin found in the British Isles and much of western Europe, ''Erithacus rubecula melophilus'', occurs as a vagrant in adjacent regions. ''E. r. witherbyi'' from northwest Africa, Corsica, and Sardinia closely resembles ''E. r. melophilus'' but has shorter wings.<ref name=Lack46>{{Cite journal|author=Lack, D.|year=1946|title=The Taxonomy of the Robin, ''Erithacus rubecula'' (Linnaeus)|journal=Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club|volume=66|pages=55–64}}</ref> The northeasternmost birds, large and fairly washed-out in colour, are ''E. r. tataricus''. In the southeast of its range, ''E. r. valens'' of the [[Crimean Peninsula]], ''E. r. caucasicus'' of the Caucasus and northern [[Transcaucasia]], and ''E. r. hyrcanus'' southeastwards into Iran are generally accepted as significantly distinct.<ref name=Lack46 />

On [[Madeira]] and the [[Azores]], the local population has been described as ''E. r. microrhynchos'', and although not distinct in [[morphology (biology)|morphology]], its isolation seems to suggest the subspecies is valid (but see below).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/how-robins-became-the-birds-of-christmas/|title=How Robins Became the Birds of Christmas|first=Darren|last=Naish|website=Scientific American Blog Network}}</ref>

==== Canary Islands robins ====
[[File:Erithacus rubecula superbus, Los Silos, Tenerife 1.jpg|left|thumb|Tenerife robin ''Erithacus rubecula superbus'', Los Silos, Tenerife]]
[[File:Erithacus rubecula -Canary Islands, Spain -adult and juvenile-8.jpg|thumb|Adult and juvenile Gran Canaria robins]]

The most distinct birds are those of [[Gran Canaria]]  (''E. r. marionae'') and [[Tenerife]] (''E. r. superbus''), which may be considered two distinct species or at least two different subspecies. They are readily distinguished by a white eye-ring, an intensely coloured breast, a grey line that separates the orange-red from the brown colouration, and the belly is entirely white.<ref>{{Cite book |editor=Cramp, S. |year=1988 |title=Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. |volume=V. Tyrant Flycatchers to Thrushes |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-19-857508-5}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>

Cytochrome ''b'' sequence data and vocalisations<ref name=Bergmann>{{cite journal |last1=Bergmann |first1=H.H. |last2=Schottler |first2=B. |year=2001 |title=Tenerife robin ''Erithacus (rubecula) superbus'' – a species of its own? |journal=[[Dutch Birding]] |volume=23 |pages=140–146}}</ref> indicate that the Gran Canaria/Tenerife robins are indeed very distinct and probably derived from colonisation by mainland birds some 2&nbsp;million years ago.{{efn|
Although Dietzen ''et al.'' (2003)<ref name=Dietzen/> conclude that both the Tenerife and Gran Canaria populations are independently derived from mainland populations and should constitute two species or both be placed in ''E. rubecula'' as subspecies, their data does not allow for a definite conclusion. The alternative explanation – that Tenerife was colonised by already-distinct Gran Canaria robins – has not been explored and the proposed model relies only on probabilistic inference. Likewise, the seemingly exact molecular dating is doubtful as it assumes a [[molecular clock]] that may or may not be correct, and of course the assumption that the ancestor of all robins was similar in colouration to ''superbus'' and not the continental birds is, being inferred from their model of colonisation, entirely conjectural.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}
}}

Christian Dietzen, Hans-Hinrich Witt and Michael Wink published in 2003 in ''Avian Science'' a study called "The phylogeographic differentiation of the European robin ''Erithacus rubecula'' on the Canary Islands revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequence data and morphometrics: evidence for a new robin taxon on Gran Canaria?".<ref name=Dietzen/> In it they concluded that Gran Canaria's robin diverged genetically from their European relatives as far back as 2.3&nbsp;million years, while the Tenerife ones took another half a million years to make this leap, 1.8&nbsp;million years ago. The most likely reason would be a different colonisation of the Canaries by this bird, which arrived at the oldest island first (Gran Canaria) and subsequently passed to the neighbouring island (Tenerife).<ref name="canarias7.es">{{cite news |first1=César-Javier |last1=Palacios |year=2006 |title=Hallazgo en Gran Canaria de una especie de petirrojo única en el mundo |lang=es |trans-title=Discovery in Gran Canaria of a species of robin unique in the world |newspaper=Newspaper Canarias 7 |url=http://www.canarias7.es/articulo.cfm?Id=36465 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307001055/http://www.canarias7.es/articulo.cfm?Id=36465 |archive-date=7 March 2016 |access-date=24 February 2015}}</ref>

A thorough comparison between ''E. r. marionae'' and ''E. r. superbus'' is pending to confirm that the first one is effectively a different subspecies. Initial results suggest that birds from Gran Canaria have wings about 10% shorter than those on Tenerife.<ref name=Dietzen/> The west Canary Islands' populations are younger ([[Middle Pleistocene]]) and only beginning to diverge genetically. Robins from the western [[Canary Islands]] on El Hierro, La Palma and La Gomera (''E. r. microrhynchus'') are more similar to the European type subspecies (''E. r. rubecula'').<ref name=Lack46/>

Finally, the robins which can be found on [[Fuerteventura]] are the European subspecies, which is not surprising as the species does not breed either in this island or on nearby [[Lanzarote]]; they are wintering birds or just on passage during their migration between Africa and Europe.<ref name="canarias7.es"/>

=== Other robins ===
The larger [[American robin]] (''Turdus migratorius'') is a much larger bird named from its similar colouration to the European robin, but the two birds are not closely related, with the American robin instead belonging to the [[Turdus|same genus]] as the [[common blackbird]] (''T.&nbsp;merula''), a species which occupies much of the same range as the European robin. The similarity between the European and American robins lies largely in the orange chest patch found in both species. This American species was incorrectly shown "feathering its nest" in London in the film ''[[Mary Poppins (film)|Mary Poppins]]'',<ref name=imdb>{{cite web |title=''Mary Poppins'' (1964) - Goofs |website=[[IMDb]] |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058331/goofs |access-date=21 January 2008}}</ref> but it only occurs in the UK as a very rare vagrant.<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Roberts |title=Village braced for invasion of twitchers as rare visitor flies in |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Post]] |url=http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1997214 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508082115/http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55 |archive-date=8 May 2006 |access-date=24 February 2015}}</ref>

Some South and Central American ''Turdus'' thrushes are also called robins, such as the [[rufous-collared thrush]]. The Australian "robin redbreast", more correctly the [[scarlet robin]] (''Petroica multicolor''), is more closely related to crows and jays than it is to the European robin. It belongs to the family [[Petroicidae]], whose members are commonly called "Australasian robins". The [[red-billed leiothrix]] (''Leiothrix lutea'') is sometimes named the "Pekin robin" by [[Aviculture|aviculturalists]]. Another group of Old World flycatchers, this time from Africa and Asia, is the genus ''Copsychus''; its members are known as [[magpie-robin]]s, one of which, the [[Oriental magpie robin]] (''C.&nbsp;saularis''), is the national bird of Bangladesh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National icons of Bangladesh |website=Bangla 2000 |url=http://www.bangla2000.com/Bangladesh/national_icons.shtm |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref>