The white-throated robin or irania (Irania gutturalis) is a small, migratory passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae, and the only member of the genus Irania. It breeds on high-altitude mountain slopes with dense scrub in western Asia and winters in East Africa. Males have lead-grey upperparts and bright orange underparts with a namesake white throat patch. Females are duller, with greyer underparts, orange sides, and a fainter white throat compared to the males.
Taxonomy
The vernacular and generic name Irania alludes to Iran, its type locality, while the specific name gutturalis is Medieval Latin for "of the throat", referring to the male's white throat.
The white-throated robin belongs to a group of passerines called chats, which were, as traditionally defined, all formerly thought to be members of the thrush family Turdidae, but are now classified as Old World flycatchers, Muscicapidae. Within the Muscicapidae family, the chats (as traditionally defined) make up the subfamily Saxicolinae, together with other species that were not traditionally labeled as chats/thrushes, such as the Ficedula flycatchers. The white-throated robin is sister to the genus Luscinia, containing the nightingales and their relatives.
Description
thumb|right|alt= A male white-throated robin perched in a leaf tree, its body to the right but its head looking to the left from the camera's perspective|Male in [[Selman, Eğil, Turkey]]
This species is larger than the European robin, having a length of and a wingspan of . During autumn, fruits are also taken.
It is a seasonal breeder, breeding from May to June. It nests low to the ground in a bush or tree cavity or on a stump or log, laying a clutch of 4–6 eggs. Nests are flat and cup-shaped and made out of cereal stalks, twigs, hair, and feathers. The species is also a very rare vagrant to Europe, with observations as far northwest as Norway, the United Kingdom, and Sweden.
The white-throated robin's main breeding habitat is dry rocky slopes dominated by scrub, often at high altitudes, usually above sea level. Other breeding habitats include semi-desert and mountain steppes, but also less arid habitats such as ravines with mountain streams.