61 Facts About Robins For The Budding Ornithologist In You

Robins are some of the most commonly spotted songbirds, especially in spring.

Robins are very popular birds in North America, Europe, and Britain. They are so loved by the Brits that they have declared the European robin as their national bird.

The robin is a member of the thrush family, which can be identified from its rusty red breast, grey-brown feathers, and tail tipped with white feathers. The American robin is a medium-sized bird, which can measure up to 10 in (25.4 cm) long.

Robins generally inhabit woods and deciduous forests, but they are also found in towns and cities quite commonly.

Almost 75% of robins die before they reach one year of age, mainly because of predators. About ten percent of adult robins die because they get involved in fights with other robins in order to protect their territory as well as young robin chicks from predators.

Read on to know more about this bird species and afterward why not also check out when do robins lay eggs and what do robins eat?

Fun Facts About Robins

Robins are omnivores, they love to pick out worms and insects from the earth. Robins also enjoy feasting on small, sweet berries and fruits, even small seeds and nuts. Let's find out some more fun facts about robins.

• Sometimes, robins can become drunk from having too many fermented berries, because of which they can exhibit drunken behaviors like stumbling and falling while walking.
• The American Robin is the state bird in the USA for three states: Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
• Generally, American robins tend to roost together, live together, and lay eggs together in a tree. These groups of robins are called roosts.
• Some trees can have a roost of more than 200,000 American robins, all living together and singing harmoniously.
• As robins are songbirds, they obviously have very beautiful voices. The singing of a robin is said to signify the start of spring. Robins are also the last birds to be heard before the sunsets.
• Surprisingly, robins' eggs appear a greenish-blue color rather than white.
• Male robins take care of their mate when the female is roosting by bringing her worms and food as well as taking care of the hatchlings until they are able to fly.

Different Types Of Robins

There are different types of this small, distinctive bird so let's find out more about known varieties:

• The American robin belongs to the thrush family, and its Latin name is Turdus migratorius.
• Although it is not quite related to the European robin, the American robin was named so after the colonizers were reminded of their favorite native bird.
• Both these birds appear quite similar and even share similar vocals. The European robin belongs to the chat-thrush family, subfamily Saxicolinae.
• The Latin name for European robin is Erithacus Rubecula, which is a smaller thrush than the American robin. This breed is mainly found throughout Europe, western Asia, and northern parts of Africa.
• This European robin sings all year round and only a few species migrate, others are found to be more sedentary.
• The name robin is also used for several other birds belonging to the thrush family in the genera Tarsiger and Erithacus.

Characteristics Of Robins

Robins have a grey or brown color, with a very bright and distinctive red chest and tummy which is their identifying aspect. Generally, male robins appear brighter than female ones, although the difference is not very apparent. They have some other really interesting characteristics which we have revealed below:

• Robins beat their wings rapidly while flying and fly quickly.
• Robins are very territorial birds and tend to get into squabbles many times, sometimes even resulting in the death of a robin.
• Robins appear extra fluffy in winters because they tend to puff up their feathers in order to insulate themselves from the cold weather.
• American robins generally migrate to northern regions of the USA in summer for breeding season and migrate southwards in winter to live in a warmer climate. Their mating season starts as early as January, which can last until the end of summer.
• Female robins usually build small, round nests to lay blue-green eggs and they incubate them for about two weeks. During this time, the male robin looks after her health by feeding the female robin with worms and insects and later, feeding the hatchlings as well.
• The mates separate a few weeks after the baby birds have hatched and learned to fly by themselves.

Unique Facts About Robins

Robins have a unique look but there are also other distinctive aspects about them:

• Robins mostly tend to stay in trees, but sometimes they have been found to build their nests in unusual places like post boxes, plant pots, and inside boots.
• One nest of robins was even found inside the engine of a plane used in WWII. Apart from that, robins tend to stay away from humans most of the time.
• They love to visit gardens and parks, especially if they can find a constant source of food there.
• If you wish to invite a robin to your home, just lay out some food on a bird table, and they may flock to your garden soon.
• Robins are known for having a very unique, melodious, and pleasing voice as well as a beautiful mating call.
• Male robins tend to sing to attract female mates as well as to proclaim their territory and keep away other robins.
• Their song boxes, or syrinx, are made from a highly developed and complex set of muscles that allows them to sing at a high pitch with varying notes, and a loud voice that carries over long distances, even with such a small body.
• Robins engage in fights with one another frequently, sometimes even losing their lives due to this.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 61 Facts about robins for the budding ornithologist in you then why not take a look at do robins migrate, or do robins reuse their nests?