Black-sided Robin
Poecilodryas hypoleuca (G. R. Gray, 1859)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Poecilodryas hypoleuca
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Open encyclopedia reference
The black-sided robin (Poecilodryas hypoleuca), also known as the pied robin, is a species of bird in the family Petroicidae. It is widespread throughout New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek words poikilos 'pied' and dryas 'dryad', and the species name hypoleuca is derived from the Ancient Greek hypoleukos, meaning 'whitish'. Sibley and Ahlquist's DNA-DNA hybridisation studies placed this group in a Corvida parvorder comprising many tropical and Australian passerines including pardalotes, fairy-wrens, honeyeaters and crows. However, subsequent molecular research (and current consensus) places the robins as a very early offshoot of the Passerida (or "advanced" songbirds) within the songbird lineage. Measuring 13 to 15 cm (5 to 6 in), the black-sided robin has black and white plumage. The upperparts including the crown, nape, back, wings and tail are black or brownish-black, as is its eye-stripe. It has white eyebrows, throat and underparts and a white patch on the wings.
Wikipedia contributors, Black-sided robin; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:14:01.385207+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Poecilodryas hypoleuca (G. R. Gray, 1859)
- Name authority
- (G. R. Gray, 1859)
- Common name
- Black-sided Robin
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Petroicidae
- Genus
- Poecilodryas
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPetroicidae Mathews, 1920
- genusPoecilodryas Gould, 1865
- speciesPoecilodryas hypoleuca (G. R. Gray, 1859)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Poecilodryas. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Poecilodryas cerviniventris (Gould, 1858) | PetroicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-browed RobinPoecilodryas superciliosa (Gould, 1847) | PetroicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-throated RobinPoecilodryas albonotata (Salvadori, 1875) | PetroicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Olive-yellow RobinPoecilodryas placens (E. P. Ramsay, 1879) | PetroicidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=562358 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4KTHW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.