How often should i feed a baby robin
What Do Baby Robins Eat? and How to Feed One! a How-To Guide
Either you found a baby robin that’s fallen from its nest, or perhaps you’re just curious and asking what do baby robins eat?
Well, here’s the guide on what baby robins eat, and if the need arises then how to feed one. So first let’s give you the quick answers, then we’ll get into more details…
How do baby robins eat? During the first week, the parents regurgitate partly digested food into the baby’s mouth. As they grow they eat a variety of food from earthworms, to whole worms and large insects, and even berries until they fledge to finally fend for themselves.
How do you feed a baby Robin? To feed a baby robin you can use a dropper, clean hands, or let the babies feed themselves when they become independent enough. Once released they will naturally be able to hunt for food and feed themselves.
Read on, or watch the video below from the Ranger Planet Youtube Channel.
What do baby robins eat and when
Baby robins are just that – babies, at first, and depend wholly on their parents for food.
However, what baby robins eat during the very first few days and onward changes as time goes by – and fairly quickly too.
Here’s the list of what baby robins eat at each growth stage. But if you’re looking to protect your baby robin, then be sure to check what eats robins to know what might want to prey on them. You might also be interested to know if it’s legal to keep a robin as a pet?
1 – 7 Days – baby robins eat…
When baby robins are with their parents, the parent robins forage for food for themselves, but also gather enough to feed their young.
The parent regurgitates this partly digested food into the baby’s mouth. This is the only way that baby robins eat and are fed during the first week from birth.
This includes partly digested insects, beetles, worms, berries, and seeds
7-14 days – baby robins eat…
Around this time, the parents pass larger portions of food or break up larger ones such as earthworms and deliver into the baby robin’s mouth.
From here onwards the baby robins start eating more with each passing day.
Whole versions of insects, beetles, worms, berries and seeds.
After a period of this, the parents begin to let the baby robins eat the whole worm and other large insects on their own.
By this time a baby robin will be able to eat the equivalent of 14 feet of earthworms during its two-week nest life.
14 days plus – baby robins eat…
From this point, more often than not baby robins are able to eat food provided to them by the parents that are just placed in the nest. The baby robin is old enough to find and eat the food themselves within the nest.
In general, baby robins depend on the parents fully for their daily dose of food, until they are independent enough and can fledge the nest and fly away.
On average, the parent robins can make up to 100 visits a day to feed their young ones – that just shows how often the baby robins eat to grow up.
This is also why robins are very picky in choosing a territory to create their nest.
They need to ensure they live close to adequate food sources to make the hunt for food and feeding visits often and easy.chicks in a nest
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So let’s move on to how you would feed a baby robin.
How to feed a baby robin?
If you’re in the situation where you have a baby robin you need to take care of and hand rear, perhaps one that fell from the nest or lost its parents. Then naturally, there are plenty of things you will have to know about feeding baby robins – let us give you some guidance.
There are, thankfully, many ways and methods that have worked to feed baby robins, below are three safe methods to feed a baby robin.
1. Using a syringe to feed a baby robin
You can use a syringe, like this one, or an eyedropper to feed baby robins.
For this method, the best food would be to get a baby bird formula mix.
With this formula, use the syringe and simply follow the instructions for feeding.
Alternatives to baby bird formula
Instead of a bird formula mix, you could even use baby formula or wheat cereal like farina. Or at a push, you might be able to soak dried dog food which has been known to feed baby robins quite well.
However, when feeding these products be sure to still use the syringe or dropper. Try to make sure the products are mushed down enough to pass through the dropper without getting blocked.
At first, one or two full droppers will almost certainly fill the baby robin, but as they grow they’ll likely need more of it – and potentially more often. Being a robin parent is a demanding job!
The baby robin will let you know when it’s full, usually when it’s hungry or wants more food it opens its mouth automatically.
Be aware of this too, do not try to feed the robin when it is not asking, as you can easily overfeed them, which is just as risky as not feeding them.
So it’s important to observe if the bird is full or not before trying to encourage them to eat further.
2. Using your hands to feed a baby robin
Hands can also be used to feed baby robins. Moistened duck or chicken feed that are processed well with an even texture can also make some good reasonable food baby robin food.
When using the hands it’s important to be hygienic. Not only when feeding but also while making the food using the hands or when handling the bird.
To feed a baby robin using your hands, take a tiny pinch of food and stick it to the tip of the finger and all you have to do is touch the corner of the bird’s mouth.
The baby robins will automatically open their mouth and you shouldn’t have any trouble passing it into their beaks.
Another great thing about using hands to feed baby robins is that you will get a good sense of when to stop because the baby robin will stop opening their mouth when they feel full, unlike droppers which can be inserted into the mouth anyway – even if the bird is already full.
3. Allow the baby robin to feed on its own
If you get to this point then congratulations, or if the bird already has some plumage and appears to be an older chick.
This method works mostly when the baby robin is a little more grown-up and can handle the food on their own.
This is a method that allows the baby robins to feed themselves by placing the food on the ground next to them.
For this, offering small berries, or using mealworms, earthworms, or grubs near the ground next to where they rest will work fine.
This will also allow the birds to come and feed whenever they feel hungry. On average baby, robins may have to be fed every 5-10 minutes at peak times.
When feeding baby robins, make sure that…
- The food is at room temperature. Even if the food is refrigerated, it’s important to make sure the food is at room temperature when feeding the baby robins.
- Make sure the food is not spoilt, has no fungus or bacteria when feeding.
- The food should have a fine texture and even toward slushy, but smooth enough to get through the delicate throats of baby robins.
- Up to three weeks old, the baby robins will be grown up enough to find their food. So by this time, it’s good to allow the baby robins to eat of its own accord and just make sure food is available.
Then one day, they will fledge and fly away. And you can smile in the knowledge you probably just saved a wild bird’s life. If the baby robin does not survive, then it was never meant to be, and at least you provided it with some comfort and the best chance of survival.
So finally…
We hope this has been useful in answering the question – what do baby robins eat? And hope you’ve been able to put the help on how to feed one to good use.
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What Do Baby Robins Eat? How to Take Care of a Baby Robin
What’s This Post About?
Robins are pretty songbirds that belong to the Turdidae family.
There are two types of species in this family: American Robin and European Robin. They can be differentiated by appearance, region, and plumage. Read on to find out more about them.
This post consists of an overview of what do baby robins eat. You can easily come across a baby by making sure there are robins in your backyard.
Attract these birds to your yard via bird feeders containing their favorite food sources. Robin babies can take up to one whole day to hatch properly from the eggshell.
Robin nestlings consume earthworms to survive. They prefer eating insects like mealworms, grubs, earthworms, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, etc. Taking care of a baby robin is very challenging. You need to ensure that the bird is warm, fed, and safe.
What Are the Stages of Robin’s Life?
Growth and development of a robin in different life phases.
Like all animals, robins also go through different phases in their life. Developing from a baby to an adult is quite a long process.
Each stage carries with it additional requirements with regards to dependency, food, behavior, etc.
Robins do not mate for life; the pairs stick together throughout the breeding season then depart. The breeding season comprises of 2 – 3 nesting. The same two birds might probably mate again and stay together in the next year’s breeding period.
Watch this video to visually see how a baby robin transitions into an adult:
The Egg
These birds begin courting in late winters or early spring. Robin’s produces 5 – 6 clutches with one egg each day. The eggs take about 12 – 14 days to hatch, and tiny baby robins are born.
Robins lay blue eggs. The eggshell of the bird’s egg is of a cyan shade with a matte finish. The egg length is usually about 2.7— 3 cm, and it is 2.1 cm wide.
FUN FACT
Robins have up to three broods in a year, many of their babies do not survive.
1 to 7 Days
For the first few days, the babies can only open their beaks and not their eyes. They are delicate little bird babies with pink skin and light grey feathers patched on their bodies.
At this time, the baby robins are entirely dependent on their parents. The parents look for food and bring it back to the nest to feed their young. These babies survive on the partly digested food received from their parents directly in their mouths. This is the only way the babies can be fed during the initial days.
The food they eat includes partially digested worms, beetles, seeds, berries, and small insects.
INTERESTING FACT
Robins roost together in trees. Up to 200,000 robins can roost together at once.
7 to 14 Days
Once the hatchlings have transitioned into nestlings, they grow bigger, start developing feathers, and can open their eyes.
They express their food needs through loud chirping; the mother robin feeds them food and cleans the nest.
During this phase, the parent bird starts feeding them large portions of food through their mouth. The young birds consume more and more with each passing day. This is the baby’s growing period which is why their demand for food has increased.
They eat the whole version of beetles, worms, seeds, insects, and berries. Soon the parents let the baby robins eat the entire insect or fruit on their own.
FUN FACT
As soon as a baby robin grows 14 days old, it can consume food equal to 14 feet of earthworms.
14 Days and Over
At this stage, the birds are getting bigger, fuller, and gaining strength. Parents now place the food in the nest, and the baby robins find it and feed on it themselves. However, the young birds do depend on their parents until they can fly off the nest.
Only when they enter the fledgling phase, they become independent.
INTERESTING FACT
The parent robin has to make approx. 100 visits per day to feed their babies. This is because baby robins require a lot of feed to grow and develop. This is also why robins are careful when they pick a territory – they ensure that the place they live in has easy access to ample food sources.
What Can You Feed a Baby Robin?
Every bird has its preference; let’s explore what baby robins prefer to eat.
Robins are omnivorous birds and need a balanced diet to survive. Therefore, the best thing to feed a baby robin would be insects such as crickets, beetles, or grasshoppers, earthworms, mealworms, fruits, and berries.
The main aim of a balanced, nutrient-rich diet for a robin is to help it grow into a healthy adult. On average, a baby robin has to be fed after every 5 to 10 minutes. Further, we will mention a list of food you can feed the babies with.
INTERESTING FACT
Jays and crows are a threat to baby robins.
This is because they tend to eat these baby birds in the absence of their parents.
Earthworms
Baby robins love to indulge in earthworms or mealworms. They are fed worms by their parents as it proves to be a nutritious snack for the birds. However, feeding robins can be challenging, and the mother needs to be on her wings to find food for her babies.
If the baby bird is left alone for even a week, it will start looking weak or sick and may even die.
Insects
Insects are the best food option for baby robins. Adult robins feed mainly on beetles and grasshoppers. Nestlings are given partly digested beetles and grasshoppers from their parents.
If you plan on feeding a baby robin an insect on your own, then make sure it is old enough to eat by itself.
PRO-TIP
The best time to feed insects to baby robins is during the spring season. The baby is old enough to eat food independently and can easily digest insects like crickets and beetles by this time.
Fruits and Berries
Fruits and berries are also something that baby robins enjoy. They can eat fruits like grapes, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries.
Make sure that the fruits are cut up into tiny pieces before being fed to the young birds. If the baby robin is strong enough, you can place these fruits on the ground and wait for them to feed on it.
INTERESTING FACT
Baby robins stay in the nest for a maximum of 16 days before practicing their first flight. After that, the mother robins protect their babies till the time they learn how to fly smoothly without any falls.
Do Baby Robins Need Liquids to Survive?
Food is a need, but is water also required for baby robins to survive?
Water is not essential for a baby robin. This is because the food they eat is moist, and it keeps them hydrated throughout the day. If the fledgling is not eating correctly, it is advisable to only put a drop of water on the bird’s beak.
If you plan to provide water to these young birds, then make sure that the water is lukewarm and fresh. They do not have a high-water requirement but when needed, try to be very careful, feed tiny drops of water at a time.
Once the baby robin grows, it will be able to drink water independently through shallow dishes. Although the food provided by parent robins is enough to keep the baby hydrated, if you find an orphaned baby robin that does not eat right, make sure you use a dropper or syringe to put a few drops of water in its mouth timely.
Moreover, birds, unlike mammals, do not consume milk. The digestive systems of baby robins are not strong enough to tolerate milk. It is a misconception that it is alright to provide milk with bread to birds. However, milk can be highly toxic.
PRO-TIP
Never force water directly in the baby bird’s mouth; it may lead to the young bird choking and dying.
What Should Not Be Fed to Robins?
Specific food sources should be avoided entirely while feeding a robin.
Let’s find out what they are!
Robins can not eat anything large as they are little songbirds with a small beak. It is best not to feed these birds bread, avocadoes, asparagus, and many fruits and vegetables. Milk or alcohol should also be avoided as it may harm the bird’s internal system.
Try not to put out bird mixes for robins in your backyard. Most bird mix is viable for larger bird species to consume as they consist of beans, rice, dried peas, lentils, and wheat that a small robin might not be able to digest.
Ideally, bread should not be given to robins as it does not have the proper nutrients to keep the bird safe and warm during the winters. However, bread can be given at rare instances but only as a snack.
Please do not leave out milk for robins; they might not be able to digest it. However, fermented dairy products such as soft cheese can be given in tiny amounts.
Other items that should be avoided for a robin are:
- Vegetables: eggplant, asparagus, onions, olives, parsley, spinach, and mushrooms.
These might be healthy for humans but are not something you can give to robins. - Nuts and Seeds: pear seeds, apricot pits, apple seeds, cherry pits, plum pits, peach pits, and raw peanuts should all be avoided.
- Beans: dried beans consist of hemagglutinin that is dangerous for birds. However, cooked beans are perfectly fine to give.
- Fruits: rhubarb and avocados are not safe for birds like robins.
- Sugary food: chocolates are not advisable to feed a bird.
- Liquids: alcohol, coffee, tea, carbonated drinks, and milk.
The food items listed above should be kept away from the birds. These can make the birds fall sick or be fatal to the little birds.
PRO-TIP
To distinguish between a male and a female robin, examine the color of their heads. A male robin has a darker shaded head, while a female robin has a pale brownish-gray color.
How To Attract a Robin?
Tips and tricks to attract a robin to your yard!
Attracting a robin to your yard is very simple and easy.
Just keep an ample amount of food supply in your yard, grow trees and bushes to provide an ideal nesting site for the bird, and make sure your yard is safe and secure for the birds.
Feed Them
Robins like to consume invertebrates and insects in the summer and fruits and seeds in the winters. Make your yard similar to the wild habitat that they live in. Plant trees in your garden to encourage invertebrates in your garden. This way, you can provide food naturally to these birds.
Provide Nesting Opportunities
Birds like robins are always looking for a safe space to stay in. Their main aim is to find a hidden spot to nest, away from the predators.
The ideal nesting spots for a robin are dense vegetation, climbing plants, and hedges. Moreover, you can hang up nest boxes for these little creatures. They prefer small nest boxes with an open front and under natural covers.
Safety From Predators
Robins are likely to settle in your yard if they feel safe from large predators such as dogs or cats.
The bird feeders should be near dense vegetations to hide easily if they sense danger.
The nest boxes should not be directly in contact with the sun and wild winds. Clean the feeders and nest boxes regularly to avoid bacteria formation that could harm the birds.
How To Take Care of a Baby Robin?
Steps to take care of the adorable little robin babies.
If you see a baby robin stranded on the ground, you should take action to care for it. If the bird is injured and its parents are nowhere to be seen, it is advisable to keep it warm, feed it, and wait for it to get better before you set it free.
PRO-TIP
Baby robins require extra heat at night. If you do not have a brooder, you can keep a heating pad under the box to provide warmth.
Watch The Baby
If you come across a baby robin on the ground, it is possible that the fledgling was learning how to fly but fell over. Stay at a safe distance and keep a watch over the baby bird to see if its parents fly by to take it.
If the parents do not return in approximately 30 minutes, go near the bird and check for any signs of injury.
INTERESTING FACT
When the baby bird falls, it will likely chirp loudly to call its parents. This is why you should wait for a good time before acting; the parents might return to the nest and look for their baby nearby.
Place The Baby in a Warm Place
If you are sure that the parents of the baby robin are not to return, place the baby in a box covered with a soft, warm towel. Don’t forget to punch holes for the air to pass.
Cover the lid as the babies feel safe and calm in darkness; they may stop fluttering around in the covered box.
Make sure that the baby bird is warm and cozy. Remember that you should not keep the box directly under the sun or in front of a heater; it can lead to dehydration or overheating.
PRO-TIP
Place a hot water bottle under the towel that is placed in the box. This will help keep the baby robin warm.
Feed The Baby
Feed the baby bird after every hour if it is a fledgling. If the baby robin is featherless, then feed it after every 30 minutes. Food that can be fed are:
- Worms
- Canned dog food
- Canned cat food
Be sure to mash the worms before feeding them to the birds. Young babies cannot digest whole worms properly. However, you can use tweezers or toothpicks to put the food directly into the baby’s mouth.
Follow each bite with a drop of water. You can place the water drops on your fingertips and put them close to the bird’s beak. Baby birds do not need a lot of water; their food is enough to keep them hydrated.
WARNING!
Do not hold the bird while feeding it, and do not pour the water directly into the baby bird’s mouth; it can fill its lungs with fluid and cause pneumonia.
Keep Reading!
Baby robins are adorable little creatures that you can easily attract to your yard. The parents are in charge of keeping the babies safe and secure.
However, if you spot a baby robin on the ground without any sight of its parents, it is your responsibility to take care of it.
This post will help you identify food sources given to a baby robin and those that should be avoided. In addition, tips on how to take care of an orphan baby bird are also mentioned to guide you through a similar situation.
If you want to know more about baby birds, such as the baby bluebird, you can read up on this post .
What Do Baby Bluebirds Eat? How to Take Care of Baby Bluebirds
Bluebirds are exotic little creatures that require care and attention. To know exciting facts about baby bluebirds, read below.
By David A. Swanson
Bird Watching USA
My name is David and I'm the the founder of Bird Watching USA! I started Bird Watching with My father-in-law many years ago, and I've become an addict to watching these beautiful creatures. I've learnt so much over about bird watching over the years that I want to share with the world everything I know about them!
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description of the bird, characteristics and habitat, species
The robin is a small bird of the flycatcher family of the passerine order.
It has several names - it is often called a robin, sometimes a dawn or an alder. Malinovka is known for her beautiful voice. Birds live near water bodies in mixed and broad-leaved forests, overgrown parks and gardens. They live in the northwestern part of Africa, on the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in Scandinavia, western Eurasia. The name of the bird was due to its bright sign - an orange speck on the breast.
Appearance and behavior of the bird
The bird is 15 cm long and has a short sharp beak, black eyes and thin paws. Young robins are pale in color with white and brown spots. Adults look more bright:
- vertex and dorsum are grey-brown;
- breast and underside are orange;
- belly - light grey.
Large black eyes allow birds to navigate through dense vegetation. Females and males do not visually differ from each other. Individuals living in the southern regions have a more saturated plumage color.
Scientists say that robins living in warm countries are less mobile than those living in cold regions.
Bird activity peaks in the morning and before bedtime, but there are exceptions.
You can hear the singing of robins in the spring, when their mating season begins. Unlike nightingales, in which only the male sings, in robins, both the male and the female participate in the trills. The male individual by singing notifies competitors that the territory is occupied, the female one reports that she is looking for a mate.
FUN FACT . The robin is one of the first to sing, just before sunrise. Birds also actively sing at sunset, and sometimes at night.
On the video you can listen to the wonderful singing of the robin.
There are more male robins in nature than females, so not everyone manages to find a mate. Males that have not found a partner do not guard their territory. In addition, single males gather in flocks and live in groups until they start a family.
A male robin that has a pair behaves much more aggressively towards other males and even other types of small birds. The male without much thought attacks the stranger. In such civil strife, about 10% of robins die.
Robins live for about 2-3 years. In captivity or under favorable weather conditions, birds live up to 10 years. Their numbers are negatively affected by cold winters and a reduction in the volume of food supply.
INTERESTING FACT. Robins living in England and Ireland are not at all afraid of people, since no one touches them. Birds can easily be approached at close range.
A robin sits on a branch with berriesRobins love water treatments. In the mornings, on the banks of reservoirs, you can see flocks of birds splashing in the water with pleasure. If there is no pond or river nearby, the birds use drops of morning dew to bathe.
To clean their feathers from parasites, robins fly to the anthill and bathe in it. After that, they go out into the sun and sunbathe.
In winter, birds bathe in the snow.
Migratory or settled
In warm regions, the European Robin does not fly south for the winter. Individuals living in cold climates are migratory. For example, the British robin stays wintering in the same place where it lives. However, some females still fly to Italy and Spain. Birds living in Russia and in the Scandinavian countries fly to Western Europe or the British Isles. In Kazakhstan, part of the robin does not fly away, but remains to winter in the area of the Alakol basin. The European robin prefers to settle in spruce forests, while the British robin prefers to settle in gardens and parks. In the Tobolsk region, nesting robins were found in birch groves with dense undergrowth. Attempts have been made to settle the robin in Australia and North America, but they have not been successful.
Most of the robins migrate from the Leningrad Region to Europe for the winter, but winterings of some individuals have been recorded, especially during warm mild winters.
So, for example, there was a case when a robin nailed to a flock of sparrows. People fed the birds with bread crumbs, sunflower seeds, and millet. The robin came down with the sparrows to peck at the food. During severe frosts, the robin ate only what fell on a warm sewer manhole. She also tried to taste the mountain ash, but to no avail - the frozen berries did not succumb to her short beak.
FUN FACT . Outside the city, robins try to winter near a non-freezing reservoir or stream. Throughout the day, the birds hide in the bushes, but twice a day they appear near the water and spend about an hour there in search of food. Along the shores, birds find dry seeds of herbs and plants.
What is included in the diet of the robin
The diet of robins consists of various insects, worms, fruits and berries. Sometimes she enjoys hunting snails. In the presence of sufficient lighting, robins continue to hunt for insects at night. With the onset of cold weather, the diet of birds becomes poorer.
They switch to plant foods: seeds, crumbs, grains. Sometimes robins follow wild boars in search of food in winter, as they know that animals often dig the ground. It may contain seeds or grains. Robins are not afraid of water and in search of food they fly to the shores of non-freezing lakes.
During nesting in Russia and CIS countries, the diet of the robin consists of 92% of food of animal origin: eggs of aphids, centipedes, weevils and other arthropods. From food of plant origin, raspberry seeds predominate. In early - mid-autumn, insects make up 87% of the bird's menu, the rest is elderberry, blueberry, weed seeds.
If robins live near the dwelling, in the cold season it is worth helping the birds and feeding them. Feeders can be filled with:
- grated carrots;
- small plant seeds;
- millet groats;
- dried or fresh berries.
Natural enemies
There are many natural enemies of robins - these are owls, falcons.
Small predatory animals destroy their nests, eating both eggs and chicks. Also, hungry crows and magpies are not averse to eating eggs. Since robins often run on the ground, here they can become prey for cats. Humans negatively affect the habitat of birds by reducing the area of wild forests.
Reproduction and offspring
The robin can raise 2 offspring per year. If one of them dies, the birds may lay eggs a third time. The female is looking for a partner. She flies into the territory of the male, which usually behaves aggressively. The female begins to sing, the male answers her with frightening sounds. The female flies away from him, and then returns again. She demonstrates humility, trembles, clings to the ground. In the end, the male, feeling a sense of superiority, accepts her into his territory.
A robin's nest with offspring After fertilization, the female starts building a nest out of twigs, grass and mud. In it, the bird lays 5-6 green-blue eggs. In the second clutch, the number of eggs may be less.
One pair of robins usually covers an area of 60-120 m². Sometimes nests of different families are found at a distance of 50 m from each other. Robins are quite conservative and rarely change their habitat. Change of territory is possible in case of ruin of their nests or death of chicks. Then the parents fly away from their usual place and look for a safer nest for the device.
Incubation of eggs lasts 2-3 weeks. During this period, the male feeds the female. Both parents take care of the born chicks. Babies are born completely naked. So that they do not freeze, the female sits in the nest for some time and warms them. Parents actively feed their babies for about 16-20 days. Soon the female makes the next clutch.
Chicks show their first attempts to fly three weeks after birth. After a month, they fully fledge and leave the nest.
INTERESTING FACT. Young robins are very curious and fearless. Sometimes they can run after a person.
There are rare cases of robins capturing the nests of smaller birds along with other people's eggs.
For example, a situation was recorded when a pair of robins settled in the nest of a rattlesnake warbler. At first, they incubated their own and others' masonry, but in the end, the parents removed the eggs of the warbler. There were cases when robins could not distinguish other people's eggs from their own, and raised the chicks of other birds. This is actively used by cuckoos. They often lay their eggs on robins. Usually, the cuckoo leaves only 1 egg in one nest, otherwise the caregiver birds will not be able to feed two chicks. In the Zhelezo tract, Leningrad Region, ornithologists observed a robin's nest, where there was a cuckoo. He was younger than the robin chicks, and at first his parents brought him food less often than their chicks. When the cuckoo grew up, the situation changed. The older the foundling became, the more often the robins brought him food.
The activity of caring for the robin's offspring does not depend on the weather: both in rainy and sunny weather, ornithologists observed long and short periods of feeding.
During the white nights, the duration of feeding the chicks increased to 19 hours a day. Drizzling rain does not significantly affect bird activity. Only a heavy downpour can become a hindrance.
Unusual robin nests
Robins usually hide their nests under cover, even if they are close to the ground. In villages or city limits, robins may build a nest near human habitation, for example, on the roof of a house or barn. There was a case when a robin's nest was found, which was arranged on an old bag and a coil of wire hanging on the wall of an abandoned house. Ornithologists were surprised that the "house" was in the open. It had a solid base of dry grass and synthetic material, the bowl was made of dry leaves and moss, and the bottom was lined with grass and hair. The nest contained a clutch of 7 eggs.
Robin built a nest in a hollow tree Rarely, robins settle in artificial plank structures without covers. For example, in the Moscow region, four such nests were found at a height of 3.
5-4 m above the ground. The robins liked only houses with an area of about 200 cm² and a wide notch with a diameter of 6-7 cm. All the boxes hung in the forest for about 4-5 years, the boards were darkened from time to time. The following year, the observers decided to hang new boxes of the same size, but the birds did not settle in them. Maybe they didn't like the fresh board designs. There were also cases when robins made a nest in a titmouse-hollow.
How chicks change their plumage
Robin chicks are covered with feathers on average in 12 days. However, its cover is significantly different from the plumage of an adult bird. On the 20th day, flight feathers appear. The helmsmen grow after another 6-7 days. Then the down-feather cover appears in the lower part of the wing. The change of nestling plumage can be divided into five stages:
- the first includes the renewal of feathers on the chest, then in the center of the back, on the hips, shoulders, neck, wings;
- the second is characterized by the change of feathers on the head, then on the small upper covert feather lines of the wings;
- at the third stage, all feathers on the body are replaced, except for the near-eye part; by the end of the molt, the young bird already looks like an adult;
- the fourth stage includes the change of cover on the periorbital part of the head, the renewal of vibrissae and the stratum corneum of the skin;
- the fifth stage is the growth of feathers on the abdomen, back, thighs and head of the bird.
When capturing young robins from different broods, ornithologists concluded that the timing of molting of early and late chicks is significantly different. They depend on the length of daylight hours. Nestlings born at the beginning of summer took longer to change plumage than those of later broods. With a reduction in daylight hours, a decrease in the duration of molting was noted, and the change of feathers accelerated.
Cases of polygyny in robins
Although robins are considered monogamous birds, cases of polygyny have been noted by ornithologists in Karelia. Moreover, males and their first females were 1-2 years old, and their second partners were older than 2 years. Scientists examined all the robins that were nearby to understand what caused the polygyny. They found that mating with the second females took place while the first ones were busy incubating the eggs.
Robin Hatching Chicks Male robins actively feed their chosen ones before mating.
Females hatching eggs receive food from males 1 time in 45-60 minutes. At this time, the males have enough time to look after another female. It is also interesting that the first females nested in more convenient places - spruce forests and thorny bushes, while the second ones built nests in pine groves less popular with robins. The second nest was always built at a considerable distance from the first, and habitats for other pairs of robins were often located between them. Since the second females started building nests later than the rest, the scientists concluded that the best places were already occupied by that time. It should be noted that the first females managed to breed two offspring during the season, while the second ones were able to feed only one brood. As for the care of the chicks on the part of the males, their priority was the broods of the first females. They fed the offspring from the second partners much less frequently. The scientists also noted that in the second clutch of the first females there was an average of 1 egg less than in monogamous couples.
In addition, the eggs were laid two weeks later than in normal pairs. Usually the second clutch appears in the nest even before the departure of the first chicks from the brood.
Ornithologists have made a logical conclusion that the male does not have time to properly provide food for both females and all offspring. This subsequently reduces the reproductive capacity of both the first female and the second.
Types of robins
Consider what varieties of robins exist. They differ not only in habitat, but also in plumage color.
- Javanese - body length 17 cm, weight 20 g. Prefers to build nests near water bodies.
- Blue-blue mountain robin - a bird with bright blue plumage, lives in Asia, Indonesia, Africa. The body has a length of 17 cm, weight 19-20 g.
- Japanese - inhabits the islands of Japan, the Kuriles and Sakhalin. It has a traditional color, but the back and tail are distinguished by a rich brown tint. The length of her body is 15 cm, weight is 18 g.
The male and female are not similar in plumage colors. - Black-throated Robin - distinguished by a black spot in front and red plumage on the back and tail. Lives in forest areas.
- The white-tailed mountain robin is a bird with rich blue plumage and white tail feathers. Lives in the Caucasus and Siberia.
Traditions and legends about the robin
Ancient Celts and Germans associated robins with their gods. The bird was considered the messenger of the Sun, and later the messenger of the storm and thunder god Thor. If a robin made a nest, it was considered a good sign. The destruction of robin nests was a great sin and severely punished.
Over time, robins have become very popular. They were bred as pets by wealthy Europeans and Egyptians. In the 19th century, stamps and postcards depicting the robin became widespread in Europe. At the same time, a legend appeared that the birds tried to save Jesus Christ and extract the thorny thorn from his body.
Therefore, on the front of the head and chest, they left a scarlet speck, symbolizing the blood of Christ.
The robin is often mentioned in the works of famous writers and poets, for example, in the lullaby of the Isle of Man "Ushag veg ruy", the novel "Redneck" by Y. Nesbo. There is a whole cycle of paintings about the robin and fabulous creatures by the artist John Anster Fitzgerald. The most famous song about the robin in Russia is the work of VIA "Verasy" "Robins having heard a voice ...".
Keeping the robin at home
Due to its beautiful voice, the robin is often chosen for keeping at home. This bird is unpretentious to food and quickly gets used to the person. The robin will feel quite comfortable in a medium-sized cage made of wood or metal. In order for the bird to please with singing more often, you need to put the cage in a well-lit place, but direct sunlight or drafts should not constantly fall on it. In the warm season, you can keep robins on the balcony.
The cage should have several perches, containers for food, drink and bathing. Robins are very fond of taking baths, so the water in the bath will often have to be changed. It would be advisable to pour river sand on the floor of the cage, which the birds will use for proper digestion. Cleaning in the cage should be done every day, and complete disinfection once every 7-10 days.
In captivity, the robin is fed:
- mealworms;
- grated carrots;
- hemp seeds;
- porridge;
- ant eggs.
It is enough to give an adult bird 6-8 worms per day. In autumn and winter, it is useful to feed robins with berries.
Robins do not coexist well with other bird species and do not get along in a large group. It is best if you get a couple of robins. If you organize a nest for them, they can lay eggs and breed. An ordinary small box with a hole is suitable for this. It is desirable that it be made of wood and have a sufficiently large entrance not less than 6 cm in diameter.
INTERESTING FACT. Robins are excellent parents and can even feed other people's chicks, in nature this is used by cuckoos.
How to catch a robin
Bird markets or pet stores sell robins very rarely. To get yourself this bird, you can catch it with a special trap with a slamming door. It is necessary to find a place where robins live, set 2-3 traps with worms or mountain ash and wait for the bird to get there. Robins are very trusting and are not afraid of humans. Noticing the food, the bird will jump on the door and fall into the trap.
Despite high mortality and a large number of enemies, the number of robins remains stable and nothing threatens the species. Active breeding 2-3 times a year and breeding in captivity allow you to save their population. It has about 200 thousand individuals, most of which live in Europe. However, people should think about preserving the habitat of these sociable birds, so as not to put the species on the brink of extinction.
Orange-breasted, gray-backed bird. European robin, or robin (Erithacus rubecula) European robin
A robin is a bird that, once seen, is impossible not to remember. Appearing in early spring, she attracts attention not only with her graceful figure with a bright spot on her chest, but also with loud and effervescent singing.
Appearance
This small bird from the thrush family is found in almost the entire European part of Russia, in northern Africa and Europe. For its habitat, the robin chooses forest areas of various types. In our area appears at the very beginning of spring. Her singing sounds especially sonorous in the morning and evening dawn, for which the bird received another name - the robin.
Its dimensions are small - no more than 14 cm in length, wingspan - up to 20 cm. Weight ranges from 16 to 22 grams. Males, as usual, are somewhat larger than females. But the color of their plumage practically does not depend on gender. The upper part of the body is brownish-olive, the abdomen is covered with white feathers, and the plumage on the sides of the neck has a bluish tint.
A bright orange spot on the chest is a distinctive feature that the robin bird possesses.
The description would be incomplete without talking about the features of the robin's song. Its trills differ from the singing of other birds in their extraordinary purity. Voiced whistling and chirping sounds are heard almost continuously. The robin is the first of the birds to start singing early in the morning and ends last, sometimes even at night you can hear its trills.
Peculiarities of behavior
In our region, this bird appears in early spring, when the buds have not even swelled on the trees yet. The robin immediately makes itself felt with its bursting singing. The voice of the bird can be heard throughout the day - from early morning until sunset. Later, when the trees and bushes are covered with foliage, the iridescent trills of the robin will be heard only in the morning and evening hours.
These birds are not afraid of people at all. You can often see them near human habitation.
In the cold season, they are even able to fly into the house or barn. However, the nature of the birds is rather quarrelsome in relation to their relatives. Robins are pugnacious, often kept alone. Males are especially aggressive in their behavior, guarding their territory. They are able to arrange fierce fights, as a result of which up to 10 percent of birds die.
Food
The robin is a bird whose diet consists of worms, spiders, beetles, centipedes, etc. It looks for all this food among fallen leaves, on the ground, in grass or in moss. The bird usually runs quite fast, moving more often in jumps. Plant foods are currant berries, elderberry, mountain ash. Appearing closer to autumn, they become the main food for birds.
Reproduction
Like all migratory birds, the robin appears in our area in early spring. She immediately starts nesting. The role in finding a site for the nest is assigned to the male. He arrives a little earlier and, having chosen a suitable place, intensively protects him from other males until the arrival of the female.
Nests up to 7 cm in diameter are arranged by robins in a variety of places: in old stumps, bushes, tree crevices. The female lays up to seven yellowish, rusty-speckled eggs. Hatching is done by both parents in turn for two weeks.
Chicks are born naked, covered with black skin, and stay in the nest for about 15 days. All this time, adult birds feed them, bringing food 300 times a day.
After leaving the nest, the chicks live for another two weeks near their parents, all this time running dexterously in the grass. At the slightest danger, parents warn the kids with a special signal, and they instantly hide in a nearby shelter. Chicks are very trusting and inquisitive. They can quite follow the mushroom picker passing by, accompanying him through the forest.
In one season, a robin can make 2 or even 3 clutches. Mortality among chicks is very high. But the main thing for them is to survive in the first year of life, then there is a chance to live a long time.
The robin is a bird whose average lifespan rarely exceeds two years.
The robin is fairly easy to tame. These gullible birds are not so afraid of humans that they can safely approach very close distances. They are often kept in cages as pets.
The robin quickly gets used to such a life, although it requires special care. Since the birds are very fond of swimming, they have to change the water twice a day. It is interesting to watch the bathing procedure, after which the robin gracefully puts its feathers in order. A bird at home sings no less beautifully than in freedom. In order for the songs to sound early in the spring, in the autumn-winter period it is necessary to add cockroaches or mealworms to food daily.
The robin brings invaluable benefits, like most birds, destroying a huge number of insects during the season. It is worth paying attention to robins, arranging feeders with berries and fruits. Ant eggs are a great delicacy for these birds.
Robin (lat.
Erithacus Rubecula) Often referred to as the robin, is a bird even smaller than a sparrow. In adults, the color is formed by six months, the back is grayish-brown, with an olive tint, the rump has a reddish sheen. The chest and head are pigmented orange or yellowish-rufous, the undertail and underbelly are off-white. The wings may have olive trim or yellowish mottling. In young individuals, the color is dull and inexpressive. In terms of body build, the robin is similar to the nightingale, only the tail is straight, not rounded. Body length is 13-16 cm, weight - up to 20 grams.
photo: Robin
photo: Robin chick (not yet as bright as adults)
There are 8 subspecies of the robin, they differ in dark or light color.
Habitat, reproduction, food of the European Robin
European Robin prefers deep and dense forests, avoids alleys and pine forests, sometimes it can be found in abandoned gardens and bushes on the banks of water bodies.
It arrives from warm regions in March, it is a spring bird. The robin's nest is made low above the ground - in hollows, stumps, under the roots. For construction use dry leaves, stems, roots. One clutch is 5-7 eggs with a light yellow or pinkish shell with brown spots. The female incubates the eggs for 14 days, both parents feed the pets.
photo: Robin loves to live in dense forests
The main diet of the robin is worms, insects, small spiders. In autumn, they eat berries and seeds. Of the hanging feeders, it is harder for birds to eat, so they feed the robins, scattering food on the ground.
photo: Robin has a beautiful melodic voice. Her song is mesmerizing.
It is easy to keep in captivity, robins sing a lot, easily get used to new conditions. For the first few days, the caught robin will fight in the cage, so it is recommended to hang it with a dense cloth. You can not give only soft food, the diet should include flour worms, insects, grains, pieces of berries.
In winter, the cage should be placed away from the window - birds are very sensitive to hypothermia.
- The robin is practically not afraid of humans, they are very curious birds;
- Jumps on the ground, bowing slightly when stopping, flies rather low;
- Singing is an alternation of pure whistling with creaking notes, birds often sing early in the morning, at dawn, which is why they got their name;
- Male robins are territorial and will defend their place to the death;
- Since the 19th century, the robin has been considered a symbol of Great Britain, it is often depicted on Christmas cards;
- It is believed that it was the robin who helped the Virgin Mary to collect firewood for the fire to warm the baby Jesus, and to keep the fire going by flapping her wings. One of the burning rods burned the breast of a bold bird, which is why a bright spot always flaunts on the breast of a robin.
Robin or Robin is a small bird belonging to the Flycatcher family.
In the 20s of the last century, these representatives of the fauna were extremely popular in Europe. Birds received such recognition thanks to their singing.
Description of the Robin
In the old days, the keepers of traditions believed that a robin bird that settled near the house brings happiness. She was believed to protect the dwelling from fires, lightning strikes and other troubles. The destruction of robin nests, if possible, was punished in accordance with the full severity of the law.
Most often these birds were met by villagers and diggers while digging the ground. Birds, not afraid of human society, calmly waited until the earth was dug up. When the man stepped aside, the robin was in a hurry to feast on freshly dug worms and larvae.
Appearance
Robin is a small passerine bird formerly classified as thrush . At the moment, the robin belongs to the flycatcher family. Males and females of the species are similar in coloration.
They have an orange breast with greyish feathers around the chest and muzzle. On the abdomen, the plumage is whitish with brown patches. The main part of the back is covered with gray-brown feathers.
The size of the bird ranges from 12.5 to 14.0 cm in length. Legs and feet are brown. The beak and eyes of the robin are black. The eyes are quite large, which allows the bird to accurately navigate in dense thickets of bushes. The plumage of immature individuals is covered with brown and white spots. Only over time, orange and reddish hues appear on their body.
Robins are found throughout Europe, from the East to Western Siberia and south to North Africa. Representatives of these latitudes are considered inactive, unlike the inhabitants of the Far North, who annually migrate in search of a warmer climate.
Character and lifestyle
As a rule, these birds sing in the spring, during the breeding season, which is why they are often confused with nightingales.
But, among the nightingales, only males sing, while in the concerts of robins, individuals of both sexes participate. Night singing of urban robins occurs in places that are filled with noise during the day. Therefore, it seems that at night they sing much louder. This effect is created by the stillness of the sleeping nature at night, as a result of which their messages can spread through the environment more clearly.
Yes, these are messages. With their singing in various tonalities, females inform males of their readiness for breeding, and males announce the boundaries of their territories. In winter, unlike in summer, the songs take on more mournful notes. Females move a short distance from their summer habitat to a neighboring area that is more suitable for winter feeding. Males do not leave the occupied territory.
This is interesting! In nature, there are more males than female robins. Therefore, most men are left without a partner. Single birds less zealously, unlike their married relatives, guard the territory.
Some, not having their own home at all, gather in groups for an overnight stay or stay overnight with other, more hospitable single males.
They are active at night when hunting for insects under bright moonlight or artificial light. It is well known that British and Irish robins are relatively unafraid of humans and like to get close, especially when digging up the soil. In these countries, birds are not touched.
In the countries of Continental Europe, on the contrary, they, like most small birds, were hunted. Their attitude was clearly distrustful.
Male robins have been observed in aggressive territorial behavior. Especially family members. They attack other males, protecting the borders of their territories. There have even been cases of attacks on other small birds without apparent provocation. Deaths from internal competition account for about 10% of cases among these birds.
How long does a robin live
Due to high mortality in the first year after birth, the average life expectancy of a robin is 1.
1 years. However, individuals that have exceeded this period can count on a long life. Long-lived robin in the wild was recorded at the age of 12 years.
That's interesting! Robins living in favorable artificial or domestic conditions can live even longer. The main condition is proper care.
Inappropriate weather conditions also lead to high mortality. Simply, some birds die, unable to withstand the cold and lack of food, provoked by low temperatures.
Range, habitats
The robin is found in Eurasia to the east to Western Siberia, to the south to Algeria. They can also be found on the islands of the Atlantic Ocean, further west of the Azores and Madeira. They were not met except in Iceland. In the southeast, their distribution reaches the Caucasus Range. The British robin most of the population remains to winter in their habitats.
But a minority, usually females, migrate to southern Europe and Spain in winter.
The Scandinavian and Russian Robins migrate to the UK and Western Europe to escape the harsh winters of their home regions. Robin prefers spruce forests for nest building in northern Europe, contrasting with parks and gardens in the British Isles.
Attempts to introduce these birds to Australia and New Zealand in the late 19th century were unsuccessful. They were released in Melbourne, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Dunedin. Unfortunately, the species did not take root in these lands. There was a similar outcome in North America, when the birds were stopped after release in Long Island, New York in 1852, Oregon in 1889-92, and on the Saanich Peninsula in British Columbia in 1908-10.
The diet of the robin
The diet is based on various invertebrates, insects . Likes to eat robin and earthworms with berries and fruits.
Although these products are on the menu only in the summer-autumn period. Invertebrate living creatures of a bird are most often picked up from the ground.
They can even eat a snail despite their small size. Robins only seem to be rounded, pot-bellied birds. In fact, their feather does not fit snugly to the body, creating a certain fluffiness and volume of the cover.
That's interesting! In the autumn-winter period, with the advent of cold weather, robins go in search of a vegetable source of food. They feed on all kinds of seeds, fly to bird feeders in order to eat grains and crumbs of bread. You can also meet them near non-freezing reservoirs.
In shallow water, birds can eat living creatures, so they walk on water without fear. The robin's lack of fear of man makes it possible for her to take advantage of his labors at any time. As often as diggers, this bird accompanies bears and wild pigs in the forest, which tend to dig the ground. Often such trips are organized together with the chicks in order to show them firsthand how to get food.
One autumn, my relative called me and said: “A tame bird appeared in my garden.
Does not fly away from me, sits at arm's length and waits for something. I have the same bird. And many other gardeners. This is a pretty little bird, the robin, which is also called the robin. More often, a gullible first year “attaches” to a person, who looks older due to the habit of fluffing plumage. He has not yet learned all the dangers that lie in wait for curious birds. Carefully observes a person, follows him on his heels. Often at the end of summer - beginning of autumn, I was forced to drive away a robin sitting nearby so as not to accidentally injure it with a shovel or rake.
Robin is a migratory bird
Robin is well known in Western Europe and the British Isles. There are not only local robins, but also robins arriving for the winter. These birds also fly to more southern countries. The robin is one of the first to return to its home. In the Moscow region, you can hear her beautiful and sonorous songs already in March, when the first thawed patches appear.
Not only the male, but also the female sings. Their ringing song, in which short whistles and long melodies alternate, falls silent for a while in the middle of the day and late at night. At dawn, the singing of robins drowns out the voices of other birds. Isn't that where the bird's name came from? Each melody ends with a trill, reminiscent of the chime of bells. These melodies will sound until mid-July, then they will be replaced by quieter singing, which can be heard until autumn.
What does the robin look like
You can easily recognize the robin by its bright orange breast and part of the head. The top of the head, neck (back), back and wings are gray-olive in color. On the abdomen there is a grayish-white part of the soft plumage. Older birds have a bright red spot on their throats. Juveniles are not so intensely colored. Their belly is yellowish-ocher with dark speckles. The robin needs proportionally long legs, as most of the time it jumps on the ground, grass and jumps from branch to branch in the bushes.
The wings of this migratory bird are short, only 7 cm long, and not very strong. The size of a robin is slightly smaller than a sparrow: body length 14 - 16 cm, and weight 16 - 18 g. Robins live on average about 5 years.
Family life of the robin
The robin has a reputation as an individualistic bird. You rarely see her in the company of relatives. The male usually arrives first at the nesting site. And he begins to defend his territory. He does not let other males on her, fights with them to the death. It often hits females, who are mistaken for males.
Nest building is the responsibility of the female. It takes about a week to build. By mid-May, a cup-shaped or slightly oval nest of robins is ready. Often it fits between the roots of old stumps or in the bases of shrubs. In clutch there are 5 - 7 light pink eggs with brown speckles, from which naked chicks hatch after 13 - 14 days of incubation. Their parents feed them for two weeks. Chicks that have grown up, but have not yet learned to fly well, leave the nest.
At first, they live on the territory of their parents, who continue to feed the brood. Adult birds look after the chicks, warn them of the danger with a drawn out "shhh ...". Chicks deftly run and jump in high grass, freezing at any danger. It will take quite a bit of time, and the robin-parents will prepare for the second clutch. They do not yet drive the chicks out of their territory, since the young birds have not yet appeared on the chest plumage of orange color. For a male robin, this is the identification mark of an opponent. As soon as the plumage of the grown chicks becomes bright, they will be forbidden to be in the "house" of their parents.
What the robin eats
The robin eats what it can find in the lower tier of the forest. She jumps on the ground and forest floor, looking for beetles, their larvae, caterpillars, flies, forest bugs, spiders, centipedes, land snails and worms. Numerous garden pests are also included in the diet of robins. These birds guard gardeners with a shovel in their hands.
They know that they can find something tasty in the freshly dug up land. At the end of summer and autumn, the robin pecks seeds and berries with pleasure. Often robins appear near the feeders. But it is easier for them to find food on the ground than in special facilities for feeding birds.
Robin in captivity
Robins are kept in cages as active songbirds. They quickly get used to the person who cares for them. They are not afraid of him, they take food from their hands. And they sing their songs all year round, with a short break for summer molting. But even here the individualism of this bird is manifested. Males that are in the same cage fight so zealously that they can seriously injure each other. The diet of indoor robins includes berries (you should add elderberries), insects, and special mixtures of seeds and grains. The merry robin pleases with singing even in winter.
Habitat
The robin bird can be found in every corner of Russia, including Siberia and the northern regions of the country.
Robins can be found in Africa and Asia. They do not live in America and Australia, although at one time they tried to settle there.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the robin again tried to spread throughout the world. This time, Oregon became the place of residence. But this time the attempt did not justify the hopes of ornithologists.
For the growth of a colony of these amazing birds requires a deciduous forest with dense branches . Even if the robin has chosen a park or garden as the place of its home, then it will be populated only in places where there are a lot of bushes. It is in the dense branches that the robin makes its nest and breeds.
The way of life for certain regions of habitat is different. Robin, living in the southern parts of the planet, is sedentary, without flights during the winter period . Northern robins, on the other hand, are prone to a nomadic lifestyle. They fly, like swallows, to warmer climes for the winter, and in the spring they return home again.
A robin will never breed in foreign territory. Even during long flights to a warm area, they will definitely return and only then will they breed chicks.
Description
The robins are very small in size. Their body length does not exceed 16 cm. A distinctive feature of the robin is that it has an orange spot on its chest. covering the entire chest area.
Wings and tail about 7 cm long. The weight of this little bird is also small, only 22 grams. In addition to flights, the birdie is often moves in small leaps .
Its most common habitat is dense branches . Due to its activity, the robin is constantly on the move, studying the space around it, and at the same time is looking for food for itself and its chicks.
Robin is not afraid of people at all, more precisely, she simply does not notice them. Often there are cases when a summer resident digs the ground in his garden, and a motley bird jumps around him in anticipation of the next worm.
Robins are active in the daytime, but they start singing early in the morning before the heat sets in. Robin has a very beautiful voice , which is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful sounds in wildlife.
Like many birds, the male is considered a good singer . But the females are not inferior to him in voice, although their sound is a little poorer.
Orange-breasted males are characterized by increased aggression. They, that there are forces, protect not only their female, but also the territory on which he lives. Very often skirmishes occur among males, which can end in death for one of them. That's why birds prefer to live with families rather than unite in colonies.
Robins are affected by light, which can confuse them. It often happens that a luminous lantern or a light in a window can make them sing their song after night time.
Appearance
Just one look at the robin is enough to remember it for the rest of your life.
A small bird with an orange spot in the chest area, with long brown legs and a dark beak, will forever leave a mark in the memory of every person. The bird is so small that it can fit in two palms of a child.
The feathers on the upper head, back and wings are usually greenish. This coloring helps the robin merge with the foliage and not be seen by enemies. The front part of the bird is characterized by orange color . It spreads from the forehead to the chest.
Like many birds, the male robin has a more intense color than the female. But both individuals are endowed with long legs that allow them to briskly jump through thick grass.
Beak small. Pretty sharp. It is ideal for catching small insects that are part of the nutritious diet of these cute birds.
The paws are equipped with sharp claws, with which the robin clings to the branch and stands firmly on it. The tail is small and flat. Regardless of gender, the color is always the same, with the exception of saturation.
Male and female can be distinguished by size . The females are slightly smaller.
Features
Average life expectancy is about 5 years. Although there were individuals who lived for 12 years. There is a very high mortality rate among the younger generation. This is due to aggressive behavior towards each other. According to the statistics provided by ornithologists, we can say that if the robin did not die in the first year of its life, then most likely it will live to old age.
Diet
Main dietary insects:
- beetles;
- bed bugs;
- spiders;
- various larvae;
- worms.
As mentioned, in addition to insects, robins prefer to include berries in their diet.
Preferred berries:
- mountain ash;
- currant;
- blackberry.
In autumn and winter, birds do not disdain to eat from human hands. They will do it with pleasure and without any fear.
Because it is well understood that at this time of year it is quite difficult to find your favorite food on your own.
Ant eggs are one of the most delicious and favorite dishes. Only one family for the summer season is able to destroy all the ants in the area. For these reasons, experienced gardeners try to lure these birds to their site.
Reproduction
The robin builds its nests in dense branches of bushes. The most common places for this are raspberries and gooseberries. Nests are built from grass mixed with moss.
Birds insulate their nests with down. Sometimes even pieces of cotton wool can be found in the nests. The size of the nest is 7 cm in diameter and approximately 5 cm high.
After the nest has been built, the female lays up to 7 yellowish eggs. After half a month, the chicks are born. After 15 days, the chicks leave their nest. But periodically they return to their parents to once again feast on another worm or insect. In one season, robins can breed several times.
