The robin is, without doubt, one of our favourite garden birds. It seems to trust us, staying close when we’re in the garden and even taking food from our hands.
Where do robins go in summer?
As most robins don’t migrate, they don’t really disappear over the summer – they just become a bit less visible. When food is more readily available during the summer, robins are more likely to forage out of sight in the woods rather than coming to your bird table in the garden.
The exception is robins that spend the winter here to escape harsher weather in Russia and elsewhere in northern Europe. These robins migrate back to their breeding grounds in spring.
How long do robins live?
A robin’s lifespan is just 13 months on average due to high mortality among robins in their first year. Once they’ve passed that barrier, they stand a much better chance of surviving for quite a while – the record currently stands at 19 years.
Why do robins have red breasts?
The robin’s red breast is part of what endears it to us, providing a welcome flash of colour on a winter’s day.
But its evolutionary purpose is for a more serious role, with male robins using it to settle territorial disputes, especially during the breeding season.
source – https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/facts-about-robins/
Petroica goodenovii
Petroicidae
Often tame, confiding and curious, the Red-capped Robin is regularly recorded as part of mixed-species feeding-flocks, often joining with other small insectivorous species, especially with various species of thornbills. Foraging Red-capped Robins usually pounce onto their prey on the ground from an elevated perch, such as a low branch or a stump. The species has also been recorded raking the leaf litter with its feet, regularly stopping and holding its head cocked to one side, presumably to detect any prey it has disturbed.
Source – https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/red-capped-robin
More information at https://animalogic.ca/wild/the-12-creatures-of-christmas ; https://www.livingwithbirds.com/tweetapedia/21-facts-on-robin ; https://www.bto.org
