Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.9–11 in
20–28 cm
- Wingspan
- 12.2–15.7 in
31–40 cm
- Weight
- 2.7–3 oz
77–85 g
Relative Size
- The largest North American thrush, almost half again as big as a
bluebird.
Other Names
- Mirlo primavera (Spanish)
- Merle d'Amérique (French)
Cool Facts
- 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 robins are considered harbingers of spring, many American Robins
spend the whole winter in their breeding range. But because they spend more time
roosting in trees and less time in your yard, 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.
- Robins eat a lot of fruit in fall and winter. When they eat honeysuckle
berries exclusively, they sometimes become intoxicated.
- Robin roosts can be huge, sometimes including a quarter-million birds during
winter. In summer, females sleep at their nests and males gather at roosts. As
young robins become independent, they join the males. Female adults go to the
roosts only after they have finished nesting.
- Robins eat different types of food depending on the time of day: more
earthworms in the morning 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.
- The oldest recorded American Robin was 13 years and 11 months
old.
Habitat
Open
Woodland
American Robins are common birds across the continent. You’ll find them on
lawns, fields, and city parks, as well as in more wild places like woodlands,
forests, mountains up to near treeline, recently burned forests, and tundra.
During winter many robins move to moist woods where berry-producing trees and
shrubs are common.
Food
Insects
American Robins eat large numbers of both invertebrates and fruit.
Particularly in spring and summer they eat large numbers of earthworms as well
as insects and some snails. (They have rarely been recorded eating shrews, small
snakes, and aquatic insects.) Robins also eat an enormous variety of fruits,
including chokecherries, hawthorn, dogwood, and sumac fruits, and juniper
berries. One study suggested that robins may try to round out their diet by
selectively eating fruits that have bugs in them.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–5 eggs
- Egg Length
- 1.1–1.2 in
2.8–3 cm
- Egg Width
- 0.8 in
2.1 cm
- Incubation Period
- 12–14 days
- Nestling Period
- 13 days
- Egg Description
- Sky blue or blue-green and unmarked.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless at birth, mostly naked with spare whitish down.
Nest Description
Females build the nest from the inside out, pressing dead grass and twigs
into a cup shape using the wrist of one wing. Other materials include paper,
feathers, rootlets, or moss in addition to grass and twigs. Once the cup is
formed, she reinforces the nest using soft mud gathered from worm castings to
make a heavy, sturdy nest. She then lines the nest with fine dry grass. The
finished nest is 6-8 inches across and 3-6 inches high.
Nest Placement
Tree
Female robins choose the nest sites, which are typically on one or several
horizontal branches hidden in or just below a layer of dense leaves. Nests are
typically in the lower half of a tree, although they can be built as high as the
treetop. American Robins also nest in gutters, eaves, on outdoor light fixtures,
and other structures. In western prairies, American Robins may build their nests
on the ground or in thickets, while in Alaska they sometimes nest on buildings
or cliffs.
© René Corado / WFVZ
© René Corado / WFVZ
Behavior
Ground
Forager
When foraging on the ground, the American Robin runs a few steps, then stops
abruptly. In long grass, robins may hop or fly just above the ground powered by
slow, powerful wingbeats. American Robins often find worms by staring,
motionless, at the ground with the head cocked to one side. It looks as if the
bird is intently listening, but scientists believe the birds find worms by
sight, watching for signs of digging. Robins sometimes fight over worms that
others have caught. During fall and winter robins often roost in large flocks
and spend much more time in trees. In spring, males attract females by singing,
raising and spreading their tails, shaking their wings and inflating their
white-striped throats. When pairs are forming in spring, you may see a display
in which a male and female approach each other holding their bills wide open and
touching them. American Robins are strong, straight, and fast fliers.
Conservation
Least
Concern
Populations appear stable or increasing throughout range. Because the robin
forages largely on lawns, it is vulnerable to pesticide poisoning and can be an
indicator of chemical pollution.
Credits
- Dunne, P. 2006. Pete Dunne’s essential field guide companion. Houghton
Mifflin, Boston.
- Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Longevity Records: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bBL/homepage/longvlst.htm
- Sallabanks, Rex and Frances C. James. 1999. American Robin
(Turdus migratorius), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/462
- Sibley, D.A. 2000. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A Knopf, New
York.
Migration
Resident or short-distance migrant. Robins can be found year round almost
anywhere south of Canada. Birds that breed from Canada to the north slope of
Alaska leave in fall for the U.S. Some robins winter as far south as the
Southwest, Mexico, and the Gulf Coast.
Find This Bird
Look for American Robins running across lawns or stalking earthworms in your
yard or a nearby park. Since robins sing frequently, you can find them by
listening for their clear, lilting musical whistles. In winter they may
disappear from your lawn but could still be around. Look for flocks of them in
treetops and around fruiting trees, and listen for their low cuck
notes.
Get Involved
American Robins are a focal species for the Celebrate Urban
Birds! project. Conduct a 10-minute count and record whether or not you see
robins.
Count birds for Project FeederWatch to
help track the movements of numbers of robins and other birds in winter.
Learn how to look for and monitor robin nests for NestWatch