I've seen a lot of robin activity lately, and it got me to thinking about something.
For most of my life, I've heard people refer to American robins as harbingers of spring, as though they migrate south for the winter and return for the warmer months. However, robins don't actually leave for the winter, unless you live in Canada, eh.
They actually just change their behavior.
During warm weather, robins spend much of their time on the ground, searching for juicy worms and caterpillars to eat. However, when the weather turns cold, robins shift their focus toward fruit (mostly berries), which often keeps them in the trees.
This, combined with the fact that they spend more time roosting in trees, means residents are less likely to see them in their yards.
Studies show that the winter diets of robins are about 90% fruit and 10% animal matter (insects). In spring, those ratios swap.
But when the weather warms in late winter, the number of robins seen on the ground does increase substantially, so I guess they could be considered harbingers of spring after all.
Appearance
The American robin is the largest thrush in North America, and measures from eight to 11 inches in length. They have large, round rufous bellies and are mostly gray on the upperparts, sometimes with tinges of brown.
Males have a dark head, yellow bill and black streaks on the throat. The rust-coloring on the belly is usually more intense on males as well (photo).
Females are generally lighter overall and have a grayish head.
Range
The American robin can be found all over Oklahoma year-round. And the bird's permanent range includes most of the lower 48 United States. Birds in the northern portion of their range tend to migrate, but not always. The number of robins present in the northern parts of the range varies each year with the local conditions (weather and food supply).
Habitat
Robins have a wide range of habitats and can be found in both urban and natural areas.
Diet
They eat soft-bodied invertebrates, hard-bodied invertebrates, and fruits. When foraging on the ground, robins run a few steps, then stops abruptly, searching for earthworms, which they yank from the ground using their strong legs.
American robins can be difficult to attract to backyard feeders. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology reports that the birds can be attracted with suet, mealworms, peanut hearts and fruit.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation suggests offering dried berries, raisins, currants and apple slices on a platform feeder. However, the best way to attract robins is by providing water and planting fruit-bearing trees.
Nesting
Female robins typically choose the nesting site, usually in trees, but sometimes in gutters, eaves, on outdoor light fixtures, and other structures.
She will lay from three to five blue eggs and incubates them for about two weeks.
Both male and female feed the nestlings, which grow quickly. Young are ready to leave the nest at 13 days but are still cared for by the parents for some time afterward.
Robins can raise up to three broods a year.
Odds and ends
- The Cornell Lab reports that while American robins can successfully raise three broods per year, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young. Nests are often raided by crows and jays which kill and eat the nestlings. Sadly, only 25 percent of fledged birds survive to adulthood. From then on, only about half of the robins alive in any year will make it to the next.
- The Cornell Lab reports that because robins forage largely on lawns, they are vulnerable to pesticide poisoning and can be an important indicator of chemical pollution.
Editor’s Note: Randy Mitchell is a freelance writer and photographer. He has been an avid birdwatcher, nature enthusiast and photographer for more than 40 years. Reach him at rnw@usa.com.