Rufous-backed Robin, Turdus rufopalliatus

Rufous-backed Robin, Turdus rufopalliatus rufopalliatus. Photograph taken in the greater Alamos area, Alamos, Sonora, February 2018. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Rufous-backed Robin, Turdus rufopalliatus rufopalliatus. Bird photograph taken in the greater Zihuatanejo area, Guerrero, March 2018. Photograph courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuatanejo.

Rufous-backed Robin, Turdus rufopalliatus rufopalliatus. Bird photograph taken in the greater Puerto Vallarta area, Guerrero, March 2014. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

Rufous-backed Robin, Turdus rufopalliatus rufopalliatus. Bird photograph taken in the coastal region of Guatemala, March 2020. Photograph and identification courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

Rufous-backed Robin, Turdus rufopalliatus rufopalliatus. Bird photographed within Bosque de San Juan de Aragón, Mexico City, April 2021. Photograph and identification courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden.

The Rufous-backed Robin, Turdus rufopalliatus rufopalliatus, is one of two subspecies of Rufous-backed Robin, both of which are endemic to Mexico. They are a member of the Turdidae Family of Thrushes and Allies, that has one hundred seven-four members placed in eighteen genera, and one of eighty-three global species of the Turdus Genus. They are also known as the Rufous-backed Thrush and in Mexico as mirlo dorso canela.

The Rufous-backed Robin is medium-sized in stature. They are sexually dimorphic with the males having a gray head with a white throat that is streaked in black, a deep rufous mantle and wing coverts that transitions to gray over the wings and tail with orange-chestnut underparts. The females are similar to the males but much duller in color. Their bill is yellow, and their legs have a pink cast.

The Rufous-backed Robin are typically found within a wide variety of forest types, including humid deciduous and semi-deciduous forests, thorn forests, riparian woodlands and at the edges of plantations and gardens at elevations below 1,500 m (4,900 feet). There is a feral population living in the greater Mexico City area at elevations between 2,200 m (7,200 feet) and 2,500 m (8,200 feet). They are ground forages that feed primarily on various seasonal fruits. They are known for their attractive plumage. The Rufous-backed Robin has been poorly studied, and their biology and behavioral patterns are poorly studied and not well documented.

The Rufous-backed Robin is a year-round non-migratory resident of Mexico being found in the western and central areas of the country from Sonora to western Puebla and Oaxaca. There is a feral population living in the greater Mexico City area that is attributed to cage releases. The rufopalliatus subspecies is commonly found in Western Mexico from Sonora south to western Puebla and Oaxaca.

From a conservation perspective the Rufous-backed Robin is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations.