The American Robin is one
of our most recognizable birds. It grows up to 11 inches
long, and has a gray back and wings with a red breast. The
robin's head and tail are black.
Young American Robins
have a spotted breast instead of red.
This bird lives in woods,
gardens, towns, lawns, and fields. This bird usually
migrates
(flies South for the Winter), but in Virginia they live
year-round.
American Robins begin breeding in early Spring. The female builds a nest with help from the male. It is a cup-shaped nest, constructed with grass, twigs, feathers, and paper, then packed with mud. The nest is usually located in a dense shrub or tree.
Three to five blue-green eggs are laid. They take about two weeks to hatch. The female cares for the young, sometimes with help from the male.
American Robins have two broods (batches of young) per year.
American Robins eat a
wide variety of foods, especially fruits and insects. Some
of their diet includes: chokecherries, grapes, cherries,
blueberries, Poison Ivy, hawthorn fruits, grasshoppers,
earthworms, beetle grubs, caterpillars, cutworms, small
snakes, mollusks, fish fry (baby fish), and various
insects.
American Robins sometimes
wade belly deep in water to catch very small fish. They also
will catch insects in the air, as well as off the
ground.
American Robins sometimes
flock
with Blue Jays. They also are known to roost
(build nests close together in the same area) with
Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and European
Starlings.
American Robins will
often re-use an old nest from the year before, or they will
borrow an old nest of a Gray Catbird, Eastern Phoebe, Common
Grackle, or Baltimore Oriole.
They are also seen eating
with Cedar Waxwings.
Copyright, Wolfgang Wunder
Copyright, Dr. Dan Sudia
Sometimes robins get kicked out of
their nests by House Sparrows or Mourning Doves. These birds will
build their nests over top of the robins' nests, covering up the
eggs.
American Robins have many
predators,
including: owls, hawks, raccoons, snakes, chipmunks, squirrels,
crows, Blue Jays, and Common Grackles. Many are also killed by house
cats.
Robins help plants spread by
pooping out seeds after they have eaten fruit. The seeds can then
grow in new places.
American Robins entertain people
with their songs, by building nests close to houses, and by looking
for and eating food on peoples lawns and gardens. They also are
helpful in controlling insect populations. Sometimes robins are
considered pests
when they are in large numbers around berry crops.
