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Cool Facts |
Photo
taken from:
The
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America by
David Allen Sibley
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- Hundreds of thousands of American Robins can gather in a single
winter roost. In summer, females sleep on the nests and males congregate
in roosts. As young robins become independent, they join the males in
the roost. Female adults go to the roosts only after they have finished
nesting.
- The American Robin eats both fruit and invertebrates. Earthworms are
important during the breeding season, but fruit is the main diet during
winter. Robins eat different types of food depending on the time of day;
they eat earthworms early in the day and more fruit later in the day.
Because the robin forages largely on lawns, it is vulnerable to
pesticide poisoning and can be an important indicator of chemical
pollution.
- An American Robin can produce three successful broods in one year.
On average, though, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young.
Only 25 percent of those fledged young survive to November. From that
point on, about half of the robins alive in any year will make it to the
next. Despite the fact that a lucky robin can live to be 14 years old,
the entire population turns over on average every six years.
- Although the appearance of a robin is considered a harbinger of
spring, the American Robin actually spends the winter in much of its
breeding range. However, because they spend less time in yards and
congregate in large flocks during winter, you're much less likely to see
them. The number of robins present in the northern parts of the range
varies each year with the local conditions. For a discussion of how snow
cover affects wintering robins, based on Great Backyard Bird Count data,
here.
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Description |
- Size: 20-28 cm (8-11 in)
- Wingspan: 31-40 cm (12-16 in)
- Weight: 77 g (2.72 ounces)
- large thrush.
- Back and wings gray.
- Underparts red.
- Dark head with white eye crescents.
- Throat white with black streaks.
- Lower belly and under tail white.
- Gray tail moderately long with white spots at corners of outer tail
feathers.
- Bill yellow.
- Occasionally show pale eyestripes on pale individuals.
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Sex Differences
Sexes look similar; female paler, especially on head.
Immature
Juvenile looks somewhat similar to adult, but has black spotting on
underparts, pale spotting on upperparts, white throat, and paler
head.
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Range Map |
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Taxonomic Hierarchy |
© 2003 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
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Kingdom: |
Animalia |
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Phylum: |
Chordata |
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Subphylum: |
Vertebrata |
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Class: |
Aves |
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Order: |
Passeriformes |
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Family: |
Turdidae |
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Genus: |
Turdus |
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Species: |
Turdus migratorius |
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Subspecies: |
- Turdus migratorius achrusterus
- Turdus migratorius caurinus
- Turdus migratorius confinis
- Turdus migratorius migratorius
- Turdus migratorius nigrideus
- Turdus migratorius propinquus
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Sound |
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Song a musical whistled phrase, "cheerily, cheer up, cheer up,
cheerily, cheer up." Call note a sharp "chup." Also a very high-pitched
thin whistling note.
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Identification and
Information
See
Anatomy
of a Bird
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Body |
- Length
Range: 25 cm (10 in)
- Weight:
77 g (2.7 oz)
- Size:
3. Medium (9 - 16 in)
- Color
Primary: Brown, Gray, Rufous or Rust
- Underparts:
Red-orange
- Upperparts:
Gray
- Back
Pattern: Solid
- Belly
Pattern: Solid
- Breast
Pattern: Solid
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Head |
- Bill Shape:
All-purpose
- Eye Color:
Dark brown.
- Head
Pattern: Plain, Streaked, Eyering
- Crown Color:
Dark Gray
- Forehead
Color: Dark Gray
- Nape Color:
Dark Gray
- Throat
Color: Dark gray with white streaking.
- Cere color:
No Data
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Flight |
- Flight
Pattern: Swift strong direct flight.
- Wingspan
Range: 36-41 cm (14-16 in)
- Wing Shape:
Rounded-Wings
- Tail Shape:
Fan-shaped Tail
- Tail
Pattern: Solid
- Upper Tail:
Gray
- Under Tail:
White
- Leg Color:
Gray
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Breeding |
- Breeding Location:
Forests, coniferous, Forest edge, Grassland
with scattered trees, Bushes, shrubs, and
thickets, Grasslands
- Breeding Type:
Monogamous, Solitary nester
- Breeding Population:
Widespread, Abundant
- Egg Color:
Pale blue sometimes flecked with
brown
- Number of Eggs: 3 - 7
- Incubation Days:
12 - 14
- Egg Incubator:
Female
- Nest Material:
Lined with fine material., Grasses
and mud
- Migration:
Migratory
- Condition at Hatching: Helpless
at birth, mostly naked with spare whitish
down.
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Other Names |
Similar Species |
- Merle d'Amérique (French)
- Mirlo primavera (Spanish)
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- Spotted Towhee
- Western Bluebird
- Varied Thrush
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- Eastern Bluebird
- Eastern Towhee
- Rufous-backed Robin
- Eyebrowed Thrush
- White-throated Robin
- Clay-colored Robin
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Conservation Status |
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Populations appear stable or increasing throughout its range. Because
the robin forages largely on lawns, it is vulnerable to pesticide
poisoning and can be an important indicator of chemical pollution. You can
help scientists learn more about this species by participating in the Celebrate Urban Birds! project. |
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Habitat |
Sources used to
Construct this Page: |
- Found in forests, woodlands, and gardens, especially where
short-grass areas are interspersed with shrubs and trees.
- Common in urban and suburban areas.
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- Sallabanks, R., and F. C. James. 1999. American Robin (Turdus
migratorius). In The Birds of North America, No. 462 (A.
Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia,
PA.
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Food |
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Invertebrates, especially earthworms, and fruit. |
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Behavior |
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Forages primarily on the ground for soft-bodied invertebrates. Finds
worms by sight, then pounces on them and pulls them up. |
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