American Robins, the red breasted bird, marks the return
of Spring in most northern states. One of the easiest birds to watch while they go about their nesting and feeding habits.
Actually, these birds spend the winter in much of its breeding
range. However, because they spend less time in yards and congregate in large feeding flocks during winter, you're much less likely to see them.
During milder winters, it's more common to see them in backyards.
American Robins are often used as the standard to which other birds sizes are compared.
Also one of the most common native birds of the East, and the largest of the Thrush Family.
Hardly a garden in North America has not been visited by this bird. Often referred to as the Red Robin.
Robins Description
American Robins have gray upperparts and the familiar reddish breast, varying from pale rust to a dark brick red. Male and females look nearly identical. The female is a bit duller.
Sometimes during nesting season you'll see mud on the breast of a female, since she is the one that lines the nest with mud. The average size of this bird is 9-11 inches long.
Often, you'll see these birds hoping on lawns, meadows, and golf courses looking for earthworms. They also eat insects, fruit, and berries.
Robin Nesting Habits
The song of the male is to advertise his territory or to attract a mate. You'll hear them the most just before the young hatch.
The nest is made of grasses, a middle layer of mud, then lined with fine grasses. The nest is usually placed in the crotch of a tree or shrub 5-20 feet above ground.
The availability of mud at nesting time may entice these birds to nest nearby. They will also make use of wool, string and hair.
American Robins 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 birds alive in any year will make it to the next.
Despite the fact that they can live to be 14 years old, the entire population turns over on average every six years.
The female lays 3-7 light blue eggs that are incubated for 12-14 days and the young leave the nest in about 14-16 days.
2 - 3 broods raised each season.
Feeding Habits
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 they forage largely on lawns, they are vulnerable to pesticide poisoning and can be an important indicator of chemical pollution.
American Robin Habitat
This is a bird of woodland edges and opening. Prefering open ground on which it can forage for insects. Try placing fruit on tray feeders or planting fruiting shrubs to attract more of them to your backyard garden.
After the breeding season, Robins flock together and go to large communal roosts at night. This habit continues from fall through winter.
Enjoy The Robin Videos
This Robin is building a nest on one of our Wild-Bird-Watching.com Nesting Shelves
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Nest By Our Window
One afternoon, my wife and I noticed a large batch of moss that had been dropped on our driveway.
Looking up, we noticed that there was Moss hanging ...
Tumbling Robin
We live in a townhouse community and it was time to stain our deck. I opened the sliding glass door from the basement and was shocked to see a perfect ...
Yearly Guests
We have a Robin`s nest on the front of our home and two on the back.
Since we are elderly people and my husband is handicapped, it provides a lot of ...
Window Sill Nest
When we returned from vacation, I opened the blind in our bedroom and was very surprised to see that a nest had been built on the ledge, right outside ...
Robin's Nest On Garage Ceiling
Many weeks ago we noticed a bird flying in and out of our garage when we opened and/or closed the door. We weren't sure what kind it was, or why it was ...
Front Door Robin Nest
Two weeks ago my husband opened our front door to go out and said, "Was that always on this wreath?" while pointing to a bird's nest on top of our door ...
I had watched for two season's these lovely little Robins grow and fly away. I was privileged ...
Greater Roadrunner Nsting on Aircompressor
Now this is something almost no-one gets the opportunity to see! A Roadrunner, nesting near our garage in the cabinet surrounding our Air-compressor! Usually ...
Abandonded Nest-What To Do
We had a pair of robins build a nest in the Star Magnolia tree outside our bathroom window. It is on the second floor so it it fairly high.
After about ...
Attack Robin
I was really excited when a robin build a nest on a beam under my back deck. The robin had no problem with me being on my deck or in my back yard until ...
Robin Eggs and Easter
So just this Easter, April 4, 2010, my husband and I were hiding eggs for the kids to hunt and find.
We have two Bradford Pear trees in our front yard,...
A Robin's Circle
Last year, my wife Gail and I were both warmed to the point of gladness to be sharing our lives with a pair of robins who chose to nest and brood in a ...
Nest In Fake Tree!
This spring we had robins build a nest in an 8 ft. tree that is in the atrium area of the front door to our house.
At first I did not even see the nest....
Hanging Begonia Plant
We had hung a begonia plant out on our deck and everyday noticed that petals were suspiciously falling off along with some stems. My wife also noticed ...
Back Door Robin Mates Again!
I was cooking Hamburgers for my wife and I on our back deck. I knew there was a Robins nest built on the under hang of the deck at our door entrance above ...
Patio Robin's?
I thought I would enjoy my coffee on the patio Saturday afternoon(May 9th) but ended up spilling it when I opened the door and stepped out.
A Robin ...
Robin and Stained Glass Window
Last spring we watched as a robin built her nest in a hanging spider plant on our front porch.
Mama robin was very easy to spot because she had an unusual ...
Robin Carport Condo
Two years ago a mother Robin built a nest in the top of a flower wreath hanging on the carport wall.
She laid 4 eggs and dutifully sat on them most ...
Porch Light Robin Nest
A robin has built a nest on top of my daughter's front porch light. It's up too high for them to see inside the nest, but the robin is dive-bombing at ...
Amazing Robins Defense Mechanism
We arrived home around dusk a few days back and noticed our two cats circling around something in the yard.
When we walked up to the cats we noticed ...
Robins nesting next to Doves
Two mourning doves made a nest on top of my air conditioner. It was fascinating watching the pair build the nest. After the eggs were laid they took ...
Robin Attack!
It was one sunny summer day. My dad, brothers, and I were getting to go fishing. My dad was getting the fishing poles ready while Dan, Rob,(my brothers)...
Robins Taking Turns On Eggs
I have a robin nesting in my hanging planter right outside my patio door. At this time there are three eggs in the nest.
Early evening I was sitting ...
Window With A View
Several weeks ago I had the pleasure of watching a family of baby Robins as they nested right outside my window.
When I say outside my window, I mean ...
Will She Return
Yesterday morning (6th June), I noticed that a robin had started building a nest right on top of my balcony railing. It's wedged between the wall and a ...
Second Brood in Nest
After listening to a robin bang into my bedroom window for a month, my family was delighted when she finally made a nest in the rhododendron only four ...
I would never have thought that the Red Breasted Robin would make a ...
Uninvited Guests
This and the spouse had decided to build a nest on top of our lamp by our front door.
I didn't bother them and thought I would share my space. Now the ...
Over protective parents
I have been blessed with a family of robins that have made a home on the top of our porch light. I have been curious to look into the nest but was afraid ...
Garage Nesting Robin
We have a robin who has been building a nest in our garage for three weeks.
First he choose the top of the door opener and then moved to a 2 x 4. A ...
Hanging Basket Nest
No sooner had I brought home and hung the fuschia basket did Mrs Robin begin construction.
I went to water the plant 36 hours after I placed on the ...
Our Kitchen Nest
18 years ago we planted a hemlock tree too close to our house, so that its lower branches now press against the house and its upper ones overhang the lower ...
Robin Nest
For two years now we have been blessed with a robin nest close to our patio.
The birds have built a nest on top of the electric box and under the roof ...
Light Fixture Robins Nest
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I had two robins' nests on my house this year. One was in the front (facing south) on top of my drainpipe, and the other was on top of a light fixture ...
Nesting on Step Ladder
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We were perplexed this week by the scattered mess of twigs showing up on our front porch. Naturally, we assumed it was our dog.
This morning, sitting ...
Hitchcock? No, not the Birds--Robins!
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What a relief! It was just this afternoon, reading this Web site, that I learned that robins travel in large feeding flocks in winter months. That explains ...
Robin Nest On Garden Hoe
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My husband first found the nest. He would walk out through our gate to his pick-up and wonder why Robins were diving him.
Then one day he noticed straw ...
Robin Nest on beam under deck
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This year we noticed a Robin's nest on a support beam underneath our deck. My husband found it when he was putting in a retaining wall. Although my husband ...
Big Robin "Babies"
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Last fall the city did major sewer repairs in our neighborhood and eventually they dug up most of our front yard.
In April we started to replace our ...
Backyard Gutter Robins
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This is a first for me. Not sure of exact dates, but it had to be about 2-3 months ago when, as I walked out my back door, I noticed a birds nest sitting ...
We have adjoining Robin nests in the slats of our fence. It is pretty visible, though ...
The Nesting Sled
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About ten years ago, I had left the door of my back shed open for several days.
I went in to get something, and discovered that robins had built a nest ...
Rockin Robins
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It's the 2nd week of July and we've just discovered a third clutch of robin's eggs (3 of them) in a nest built earlier this spring above the coach light ...
Front Door Closed
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Every year we place a hanging planter by the front door. It usually attracts Finch's. This year we received a new guest, a Robin.
The Robin and her ...
Robin on Nest
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I live in an appartment complex and this robin has her nest at the front door of the complex.
She has been sitting for about 10 days or so not really ...
Love Robins--So Do My Cats--Ack!
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Robins are one of my favorite birds and I am thrilled to see MANY of them at our weekend house in Columbia County, NY.
Last weekend, my otherwise pretty ...
Robin Coach Light Nest
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This is the second Spring that a robin has made a nest on the coach light next to our back door. Last year, three fledglings hatched. This year we have ...
Lo and behold, this spring, a robin had built a beautiful nest on TOP of the scaffold. We can peek ...
Maternity Ward
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It has been an interesting spring for us. It seems our home has turned into a maternity ward of sorts for several robins.
Two of the ceiling fans on ...
Robins In My Heart
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Every year in the spring I get wrens that nest in a mail basket on my back porch and if that's not enough they have taken to nesting in my hanging baskets....
In The Barbeque!
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Well we live in Sarnia Ontario and have had some very persistent robins.
First I noticed a lot of long pieces of old straw and grass on the blades ...
Robins find some funny and strange places to nest. Do you have a story and picture about Robins nesting around your home? Why not Share it With Our Visitors. Got pictures? We Love Pics - To share your story or read what others have said Click Here
American Robins have gray upperparts and the familiar reddish breast, varying from pale rust to a dark brick red. Male and females look nearly identical. The female is a bit duller.
