In spite of its name, it is not a robin at all but belongs to the sub-family Timaliinae, of the large family Muscicapidae, commonly known as Babblers and of which there are 252 species in 50 genera. Babbler is a very apt name, actually, as a pair frequently chatters or "babbles" to each other.

In the wild, outside the breeding season, groups of Pekin robins can be found across all but north of the Himalayas, heading eastward across northern Myanmar (formerly Burma) to just south of the Yangtse River in China. Although occasionally found as far east as Hong Kong, the bird's range takes on a more southerly direction and falls across northern Indo-China to southwest Myanmar. Introduced to the Hawaiian islands as cage-birds around 1911, escapees became established there before 1918. In 1928 and 1929 more were released there with the result that, at least up to 1985, flocks of up to 100 birds have
been reported. 

Known also as the Red-billed Leiothrix and Pekin Nightingale (this last name, a complete misnomer, is apt to conjure up too much expectation of its, nevertheless, lovely song) it is similar in size to the English common garden robin (Erithacus rubecula) and thoroughly justifies the scientific name that was bestowed upon it - taken from the Greek leios, meaning smooth, thrix, feathers, and luteus, golden yellow. 

The throat is, indeed, yellow, merging into an orange-coloured breast from whence the English name ‘robin’ has arisen, and the feathering is smooth and tight. The head, neck and back are olive grey, as are the large upper tail coverts, which end with a white band at their tips. The tail forks beyond this point and is bluish black. The shoulders, lesser wing coverts and small flight feathers are red with black and golden yellow bands. In breeding condition the bill is bright red to orange, depending on the sub-species; the rest of the time approximately two thirds of it, from the base, is black. The lores are yellowish buff to whitish, and there is a charcoal-grey moustachial stripe extending from the base of the beak down under the cheeks. The base of the beak also contains a number of bristles or whiskers. The lower abdominal region and ventral area is off-white, and this area, perhaps its colour or a swollen (?) cloaca, seems of particular importance in the female during the breeding season. It is often inspected by the male and is exposed to its full extent, with tail raised, in a prelude to copulation.

Both sexes look alike, but once gender has been determined it becomes apparent that the birds are not as identical as one may have at first thought. Some keepers have stated that sexing can be distinguished by the male's brighter colouring or the less accentuated white around the eye in the female. These, however, are very unreliable guides when one considers that there are six sub-species and the females of one race are often as bright, if not brighter, than the males of another.

The only sure way of sexing Pekin robins is by their song - the female does not have one! Her call, a regular tee-tee-tee-tee-tee, could easily be mistaken for a song, but once that of the male has been clearly identified it will never be forgotten. The closest comparison is that it is somewhat reminiscent of some notes of the blackbird (Turdus merula). 

This is extremely important to ascertain if breeding is to be attempted as two females will sit and preen each other as will two males and one could be duped into thinking that one's "pair" were engaging in the avian equivalent of a loving kiss and cuddle. It is not even safe to purchase four birds in the hope of obtaining at least one true pair as there are frequently more females imported than males.

When purchasing Pekin robins for the first time I would strongly advise taking along an aviculturist who is experienced with this species. Most dealers who cage all their Pekin robins together are usually only too willing to oblige by putting a single bird in a cage for a few minutes. It will be only a short while before it starts to call to its companions, thereby betraying its sex. A good dealer, however, will already have accomplished this procedure before offering his birds for sale.

Being a bird that haunts forest undergrowth, the Pekin robin possesses short, rounded wings that enable it to flit through spaces closely packed with many obstacles. Unable to fly at high speeds for any great distance, its superior manoeuvrability more than makes up for this. Anyone trying to catch Pekin robins in a planted flight will find that they are like miniature jets and greater escape artists than Houdini ever was. Just when one feels that they have them cornered one is likely to be left with face in the dirt and backside in the air before one realises by their scolding chatter that they have worked their way out and reappeared in
some far corner behind us. I am convinced that they laugh at us!

While completely at home in the undergrowth of a temperate forest, flitting about in a leisurely manner, the term ‘popular cage bird’ is entirely misleading. This fabulous little bird should never be permanently housed in a cage and nor should only a single specimen be kept. For its sheer well-being a mate must always be provided. A pair will huddle together and preen each other in a most endearing manner. I have witnessed a seemingly devoted pair huddled together, inner legs retracted, and with each other's nearside wings around the other's shoulders like some affectionate married couple. It is very tempting to humanise this
behaviour and it has also been frequently observed in its close relative, the White-crested Laughing Thrush (Garrulax leucolophus).

Apart from a mid-day siesta and bed-time roost, a more active bird is seldom seen. To be viewed at its best and kept in optimum health a planted flight with shed attachment is ideal. I found the best outside flight measurements to be a minimum of 6 feet high x 6 feet long x 6 feet wide. If made of wood, paint with a good wood preserver and, when dry, cover the frame in ½ inch x ½ inch green PVC-coated Twilweld. The dark green colour of the wire makes for easy viewing of the occupants and is maintenance free. Having to paint wire with bitumen every other year does nothing for the plants. No matter how careful one is, leaves
invariably get splashed. Coated Twilweld is expensive initially but more than pays for itself in the long-term. Also, ½ inch square mesh is preferable because mice can get through anything larger.

If one plans to use a natural grass floor, sterilize the soil at least a week before allowing the birds occupancy, and plant the rear of the flight with, preferably, bushy evergreens. My own particular favourite is laurel as it grows extremely fast and its broad leaves prevent any rain from soaking the birds should they decide to roost outside; also, when breeding gets underway, they prevent the beautifully constructed nest, which is easily woven amongst the branches, from being washed out.

Cover the entire roof and sides with a strong, translucent material. Some wild, indigenous birds carry nasty infectious diseases and I have often seen the likes of house sparrows and starlings sitting on an aviary roof, defecating through the wire. Entire collections have been wiped out as a result of the infection, carried in the faeces, somehow being picked up by the unsuspecting birds below. Covered roofs help prevent such occurrences but one must realise that this necessitates all the plants and the aviary floor being watered gently with a sprinkler hose.

The shed attachment containing an inside flight-cage is vital during the winter months. This cage should measure at least 6 feet long by 2 feet square and be fitted with a door-type bob-hole for easy access to the outside flight. The bob-hole should be kept closed in winter and the shed/birdroom kept at a minimum of 60°Fahrenheit. If I do not feel comfortably warm in my birdroom then I do not expect my birds to endure anything less.

Wild Pekin robins are quite omnivorous, eating various insects, berries and seeds. Captive birds should be offered a similarly nutritious diet. Mine were offered a blended softfood mixture consisting of crushed digestive biscuits, eggfood, finely chopped peanuts, high protein chick crumbs and a quality proprietary insectile mix. All the ingredients should be weighed by the pound and bound together by 1lb of melted beef dripping. Grated vegetables, such as carrot, Brussels sprouts and broccoli should be added to the mixture just prior to serving and, sometimes, a sprinkling of grated cheese. 

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of adding greenfood to the diet. If one can imagine that, in the wild, insectivores must consume copious amounts of insects, such as caterpillars and the like, that would have been feeding on succulent plants, one would realise that not only would each insect be of nourishing value, but so, too, would the amount of undigested farinaceous matter contained in its gut. The bird is, in effect, gaining two nutritious meals for the price of one!

A firm believer in additives, (editors note - Ian Hinze uses Daily essentials 2  and Proboost Supermax with his birds) every other day I mix vitamins into the food and drinking water. The softfood mentioned above can be stored in cake tins and enough food to last each bird for a day, plus a little extra, can be scooped out and provided in, preferably, stainless steel pots for easy cleaning. Replace the old food with fresh food daily. Seeds and berries can be given as an accompaniment during the autumn and winter. 

All food and drinking pots should be thoroughly cleansed every day. I like to use a rota system whereby the previous day's pots are left soaking in a bleach solution for about an hour after washing and the present day's pots, having undergone the same treatment, will now be ready after having had 24 hours to dry off. 

Since inanimate food alone is not enough for any insectivore, especially during the breeding season, all my Pekin robins received ample daily amounts of livefood. Fruit-flies can be cultured on chopped bananas and provided ad lib throughout the year. They constantly buzz around and through the cage fronts and are quickly seized upon. Although extremely small, too small to rear chicks on, they provide protein and also have a high water content. The flies chitin or ‘shell’ also aids digestion by supplying roughage. It must also be borne in mind that, when moulting, birds have a higher than normal protein requirement.

Such small insects alone, however, are far from adequate and more substantial livefood should be provided by way of mealworms, around six per bird per day - except during the breeding season when it is advisable to offer waxworms and crickets. It has come to light that Pekin robins fed mealworms during this time of the year are more likely to evict both eggs and young from the nest.

Of course, not everyone using mealworms has experienced this annoying problem, and many factors could be involved. Traditionally mealworms are kept in bran, but how often is the bran changed and is it of good quality? Are the mealworms allowed to rummage about in their own excrement? Are they given fresh vegetables at least once a week? Are the mealworms themselves fresh, or are they old and with hard skins? Obviously, much research is required to be absolutely sure of what causes expulsion of chicks or eggs after the parent birds have been provided with mealworms, but it must always be remembered that whatever
livefood is offered it must contain the necessary nutrients fundamental for the growth and well-being of the nestlings.

Personally, as far as mealworms go, I am loathe to keep them in bran because of their inadequate calcium:phosphorous ratio. This should be in the order of 1.5:1, but this isn't the case and the imbalance is too high. The situation isn't helped by bran containing a chelating agent, phytic acid, which binds calcium so that it cannot be absorbed into the body. Instead of using bran, therefore, it is far better to keep one's mealworms in chicken meal and, just prior to offering them to the birds, sprinkling them with a calcium powder.

An extremely important point to remember is to increase the amount of livefood offered each day as soon as it becomes obvious that the birds are commencing nest-building activities - not when you suddenly realise that you have an unexpected hatchling on your hands, as all too often happens. Livefood, as well as being essential for the successful rearing of the young, also acts as a stimulant. In other words, the parent birds need to be assured that there is a plentiful supply of insects available to them.

For four years Pekin Robins in my aviaries built numerous nests and laid enough eggs to make a gigantic omelette! Due to lack of space they were always having to share a mixed flight. It has often been written that one should be very wary about keeping this species in the company of finches or waxbills due to its egg-stealing reputation. While I have no experience of this, I do have the sorry experience of how a lavender waxbill and a zebra finch turned the tables on a pair of my robins.

The female Pekin robin was sitting on three eggs at the time and all was going well until the two estrildid finches started looking for nesting material. The aviary was 15 feet long and there was an abundance of nesting material to choose from. Unfortunately, both birds simultaneously took a fancy to the Pekins' nest and, to my absolute horror, proceeded to pull strands of dried grass from it. The female Pekin got up, the nest tilted, and out plopped the eggs. To make matters worse, on inspecting them, two tiny bodies wriggled for dear life in the debris!

Lesson learnt, I built new aviaries and made myself a golden rule: one pair of softbills to their own flight! This, after more than five years of trying with this magnificent bird, was to prove most beneficial.

After constructing their nest in a Cotoneaster, only 18 inches from the ground, the female produced two eggs. Approximately 12 mm in length, they were white with orange-brown freckles on the large end. Having both shared in the construction of the nest, which was built out of the customary dried grass, it was only right that both birds should share the incubation duties.

After an incubation period of around 14 days, on July 13 of the year in question, I took advantage of neither bird being on the nest and peeped in. The nest was built quite close to the aviary wire, so there was no real need to go crashing through the shrubbery and disturbing them. One chick was clearly discernible. The parents still took turns to sit and appeared to be very affectionate to each other, indulging in mutual preening. This obviously strengthens the pair-bonding. 

I increased the amount of waxworms offered to every hour. I would throw them in the flight rather than put them in dishes because, as they are able to cling to the plants and crawl under the leaves, it gave the parents something to keep them occupied as they searched for food and allowed the chick to digest any previous morsel. Large worms meant for the parents were often compressed into smaller ‘parcels’ until they, too, were fed to the offspring. What really amazed me at this time was the nest change-over between male and female. I wondered what determined their want to relieve their sitting mate. Both had ceased doing
any loud contact calls to each other, probably because, in the wild, such calls could alert potential predators and allow them to locate the nest. Perhaps they have a biological ‘sitting-time clock’ that instinct demands they take note of. This is well-worth scientific study.

The weather at this time was wonderfully sunny and very warm. The female often bathed in a shallow dish, but the male preferred sun-bathing, but only if his mate was sitting. On July 14, a second chick hatched out. Both youngsters grew very fast and, by July 18, the parents were off the nest a lot more. I provided crickets for variety but, although taken, waxworms were preferred. On the 20th, the eyes of both birds were clearly open. They were covered in dark brown, downy feathers. If either parent was on the nest when I passed by it would ‘freeze’. During the night, while the female was always on the nest, her mate always roosted in the shed.

In the afternoon of July 23, a lot of commotion could be heard coming from the side of the flight, so I immediately went to investigate. One of the chicks had left the nest - it was only 10 days old! - and was trying to clamber up the netting. As soon as I approached the wire the parents called to the youngster frantically and flew at me. I stepped back and, when the female considered I was at a safe-enough distance, she presented the chick with a  waxworm. The chick uttered a low tst-tst-tst-tst. It was charcoal grey in colour, with a slightly white throat.

During the late evening the male entered the shed to roost, while the female sat on the nest that contained the second chick. Its older sibling sat on a branch among dense foliage and was not discernible, its camouflage proving excellent in the shadows. 

The following day the second chick left the nest, but it was a lot weaker than the first. It could hardly climb at all and I became very concerned for its safety. Very soft, white mealworms were now added to the menu. It had rained during the night and the male availed himself of droplets from the leaves to drink. Both youngsters, much to my relief, had survived. They could be heard begging for food but it was very difficult to locate them. 

On the 25th, the female kept following the male around the aviary, presenting her underparts. I did not witness any mating. In the afternoon the weather became overcast and, fearing for the safety of the younger chick outside, I caught it up. The parents scolded me repeatedly as the youngster called out in distress. Also, a pair of Pekin robins three flights away joined in. On releasing the chick into the inside flight its parents immediately flew down to offer it support. Their concern was touchingly obvious and I feel privileged to have witnessed it.

Because of the youngster's difficulty in being able to climb, I provided a Mexican breadfruit plant in a plant-pot. It had a thick branch and later I found the bird perched on it. I felt I had done the right thing and, sure enough, that night it poured down with rain! 

By July 26, the wing bars on the older chick, which was now a true fledgling, could be clearly seen. Early on the bird had looked grey with black wing bars, where the colour in the adults is. Now the wing bars had creamy-coloured edges to them. Apart from its colour, this youngster was looking every inch a miniature Pekin robin. Its tail feathers were approximately 1cm in length, black and had the typical ‘V-shape’ of the adults. The body was charcoal grey, with white underparts and a small white patch or bib under the throat.
The beak was horn coloured.

In between feeding their offspring, the parents were collecting nesting material again. The old nest was completely torn apart and its fibres used in the construction of the new one. Again, both birds were involved, but the male was more concerned with his paternal duties. The older chick continued to develop, and the white around the eye was getting a lot clearer. It even took short flights into the aviary. The younger one received much encouragement from its parents to fly up to the perches and, indeed, it gave of its best but just couldn't manage it. The strange thing was, although way behind its sibling in growth, it actually chased a cricket and attempted to peck insectivorous food off the floor.

The female was now showing even less interest in her offspring, her attention focusing on the new nest that was almost completed. The male continued to dote on his youngsters, however, and whenever he was carrying livefood he ignored the advances of his mate. At times he was treated with intolerance by her and was snipped at.

This never lasted for long, though, and mating probably took place because, on the 30th, the nest was finished and contained a solitary egg. That night I could hardly believe my eyes. Both youngsters were huddled together on the top perch of the inside flight. The younger one had at last managed to scramble up!

The next day I spotted the female away from the nest and looking quite unwell. Quickly, I caught her up and immediately placed her in a hospital cage. She hardly moved at all and closed her eyes. Half an hour later she was dead. 

I felt sick. She was a really beautiful bird and had performed everything expected of her. I examined the body and found that she had a terribly distended abdomen. Her lower region was black and blue. She obviously had some kind of infection but, not wishing to conduct a post-mortem examination, I put the cause down to egg-bound peritonitis. After consulting friends who also kept the species I was utterly shocked to learn that, during the previous three years, no less than five females had suffered from egg-binding - two with fatal consequences. To this day I can only assume that the species requires a greater supply of calcium, phosphorous and other vitamins and minerals after laying a first clutch than even I
had been supplying; an area in which I am by no means lax.

Much to my relief, the male continued to care for the youngsters without appearing to have been affected by the untimely death of his mate. I assume the welfare of his offspring was paramount to him. He was certainly a gem of a bird and his young thrived on his attention. So much so that by August 1, the younger of the two had grown to almost the same size as its sibling. They resembled a duller version of their mother.

The gape marks were still visible and the feathering still a little downy. Both birds went from strength to strength and, on August 15, one could actually take mealworms for itself, although it gladly received them from its father, too. By August 17, the two of them were eating the softfood without any serious bickering. On the 21st the youngsters, who were now in full colour, could really be termed independent. They both turned out to be female. 

A fellow aviculturist once said to me that he felt every keeper of foreign birds should have at least one pair of Pekin robins in their collection, and I think he is right. Quite simply, they are the best little softbills in the world!