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American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Size: 9–11" (23–28 cm)
Male: Familiar gray bird with a dark rust-red breast and a nearly black head and tail. White chin with black streaks. White eye-ring.
Female: similar to male, with a duller rust-red breast and a gray head
Juvenile: similar to female, with a speckled breast and brown back
Nest: cup; female builds with help from the male; 2–3 broods per year
Eggs: 4–7; pale blue without markings
Incubation: 12–14 days; female incubates
Fledging: 14–16 days; female and male feed the young
Migration: partial to non-migrator, moves around to find food
Food: insects, fruit, berries, earthworms
Feeder Tips: comes to seed feeders
Compare: Familiar bird to all. To differentiate the male from the female, compare the nearly black head and rust-red chest of the male with the gray head and duller chest of the female.
Stan’s Notes: Although a partial migrator, some robins stay in low, swampy areas during winter, feeding on leftover berries and insect eggs. Can be heard singing all night long in spring. City robins sing louder than country robins in order to hear one another over traffic and noise. A robin isn’t listening for worms when it turns its head to one side. It is focusing its sight out of one eye to look for dirt moving, which is caused by worms moving. Territorial, often fighting its reflection in a window. Males have dark heads and a brighter red breast than females.
