

WBU Educational Resources
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The Great
Backyard
Bird Count
Major sponsorship provided by
Wild Birds Unlimited. |
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Click
here for more topics about
backyard birdfeeding and the
wild birds visiting your yard!
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Robin Redbreast
The American Robin can be found throughout North America some
time during the year. Male robins have a dark gray to almost black back and tail
with a rust/brick colored breast. The female is paler all over. The juvenile
robins have a spotted breast. |
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Only
the male robin sings, but both sexes have calls and alarm notes. You
typically hear the robin in the spring first thing in the morning and last
thing before dark.
Robins are attracted to open lawns and gardens with mature shrubbery and
trees. While they eat a variety of insects and berries, it has been noted
that robins can eat up to 14 feet of earthworms in a day!
Robins find earthworms by cocking their head to the side so that they can
see. They have monocular vision, which means their eyes are on the sides of
the head, and each eye can be used independently. Contrary to popular
belief, they don’t hear the earthworms. You will likely find robins in your
yard after a rain, after the sprinkler has been on, or even after the lawn
has been mowed, as this brings out the worms and insects. Worms make up
about 15% to 20% of the summer diet for robins.
Robins can be attracted to a feeding station by offering mealworms, fruit
and a birdbath. It’s especially fun to offer mealworms during nesting season
when the robins can stop and pick up a mouthful of tasty worms to take back
to their babies. They will fill their mouth until you think nothing else
could possibly fit inside and still continue to try to pick up more,
dropping some in the process, and then trying to pick those back up. It can
be very entertaining!
Robins live on average about one-and a half years, but can live up to five
years. They typically nest April through May and can have two to three
broods in a season. The female does most of the nest building. It typically
takes about five to six days to build the nest. Put out a small pan of mud
and nesting materials (short strings, yarn, dry grasses) and watch the
robins collect materials to make their nests. Robins lay about four eggs and
the female incubates the eggs for 12-14 days. Both parents guard the nest
from danger. The babies are fully feathered in about 10 days and leave the
nest in 14-16 days.
Fun Facts About American Robins
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The American Robin can be found throughout North America
at some time during the year. Male robins have a dark gray to almost
black back and tail with a rust/brick colored breast. The female is
paler all over. The juvenile robins have a spotted breast. Only the male
robin sings, but both sexes have calls and alarm notes. You typically
hear the robin first thing in the spring in the morning and last thing
before dark.
-
Robins are attracted to open lawns and gardens with
mature shrubbery and trees. While they eat a variety of insects and
berries, it has been noted that robins can eat up to 14’ of earthworms
in a day!
-
Robins find earthworms by cocking their head to the side
so that they can see. They have what is called monocular vision, which
means their eyes are on the sides of the head and each eye can be used
independently. Contrary to popular belief they don’t hear the
earthworms. You will likely find robins in your yard after a rain or
after the sprinkler has been on or even after the lawn has been mowed,
this brings the worms and insects out. Worms make up about 15%-20% of
the summer diet for the robin.
-
Robins can be attracted to a feeding station by offering
mealworms, fruit and a birdbath. It’s especially fun to offer mealworms
during nesting season when the robins can stop and pick up a mouthful of
tasty worms to take back to their babies. They will fill their mouth
until you think nothing else could possibly fit inside and still
continue to try to pick up more, dropping some in the process and then
trying to pick those back up. It can be very entertaining!
-
Robins live on average about 1 ½ years, but can live up
to 5 years. They typically nest April through May and can have 2-3
broods in a season. The female does most of the nest building. It
typically takes about 5-6 days to build the nest. You can put out a
small pan of mud and nesting materials (short strings, yarn, dry
grasses) and watch the robins come collect materials to make their
nests. They lay about 4 eggs and the female incubates the eggs for 12-14
days. Both parents guard the nest from danger. The babies are fully
feathered in about 10 days and leave the nest in 14-16 days.
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