Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Bird of the Day

American Robin


The American Robin is thought of as a sign that spring is coming soon even though, they are present year round in most of the United States.  This common bird is well recognized for it's orange breast, beautiful songs, and it's knack for catching earthworms.

Robins eat mostly fruit in the fall and winter.  Their diet expands to insects, snails and of course earthworms in the spring/summer months.  They will rarely eat small snakes and small mammals.

The American Robin is the largest North American member of the Thrush family.  The family is known for it's beautiful songs and the Robin doesn't disappoint.  Their main song goes cheerily, cheer-up cheerio and is more rapid in the morning.

Robins have 1-3 broods per breeding season and usually have 3-5 eggs per brood. The eggs are a light blue.  The success rate of young surviving to November is low at about 25% which probably explains the need for more broods.


Fun facts about the American Robin

-The American Robin forages mostly on the ground in the spring/summer months but stays mostly in the trees in the colder months.  This behavior probably made it seem like they were not around in the winter.
-Robin's roost can get very large in the winter and can contain over 250,000 American Robin.
-Robins can live to around 14 years old in the wild.

Thanks to d3hockeyfan for the great shot of the Robin.  Tell us about your experience with the American Robin in the comments.

1 comment:

  1. When I lived out in Colorado, I heard a Robin freaking out in my backyard. I went outside to figure out what was going on. I found a newly fledge little Robin trapped down in one of my window wells. I was able to get a broom and help the little guy get out the well and safely to his mother. I actually saw what I think was him quite a bit all summer long.

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