NOTES 
Figure 1. Rufous-tailed Robin at Attu Island 4 June 2000. Note the long pink legs, 
brown upperparts with contrasting rufous tail and upper tail coverts, generally whitish 
underparts, and pale eye ring and supraloral area. Although the scaly pattern on the 
underparts is not obvious in these photos, the grayish markings that are visible (malar 
stripes, markings across the upper chest, and streaked appearance on the sides of 
the chest) are all formed by the grayish tips of those feathers. 
Photos by Jan Knott 
2000 remained under one rock for approximately 20 minutes and also hid under 
snow banks, moving briefly in and out of sight. On a number of occasions this same 
behavior resulted in the bird on St. Paul being difficult to flush from an area where it 
had ample shelter. The bird on Attu in 2008 was likewise very furtive, being difficult 
to flush and disappearing into willow tangles. On the ground these birds commonly 
cocked the tail to approximately 75° over the back, resulting in a very distinct posture. 
The birds bobbed and quivered the tail when they paused between flights or runs: the 
tail was cocked at a high angle, then rapidly flicked up and down three to five times, 
then quivered at a shallow angle on a horizontal plane. This tail movement was not 
sustained but occurred in short bursts as the birds moved around. No vocalizations 
were heard from any of them. 
Figure 2. Rufous-tailed Robin specimen (UAM 24600) collected at Attu Island on 4 
June 2008. Note the brown upperparts with contrasting rufous tail, generally whitish 
underparts, and obvious pattern of brownish gray scales on the throat, breast and 
flanks. 
Photos by Daniel D. Gibson 
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