The American Robin nicknamed robin may be one of the most familiar and beloved birds across North America.  They are easy to identify with their 10 inch long body; brick-red breast; dark gray wings, head, and back; short yellow beaks; and broken white eye-ring that surrounds their dark eyes.  In early mornings, male robins are among the first birds to begin cheerily singing  “cheer-up cheerio” and continuing their song throughout the day.  To many, seeing a robin in late winter is an early sign of spring symbolizing a change in weather, renewal and new beginnings.

The American Robin favors woodlands, gardens, and lawns.  They like places with trees for nesting and open ground for finding food.  They are members of the Thrush Family of birds which includes mockingbirds, brown thrashers, and catbirds, all song birds, that generally prefer live insects and worms for much of the year.  And, studies show that robins use both sight and sound to find their prey.  However, in winter months when insects are not very active, they eat dry mealworms, fruits, and berries.  

Robins also love raisins!   It provides a source of sugar and energy to help keep them warm when insects and berries are scarce.  Purchase raisins at Walmart because they’re small, soft, and palatable.  Toss them in their feeding area or make the raisins more desirable by first soaking them in warm water for a few minutes.   This fall I had so many migrating robins that I had very few black birds ‘grackles’.  Robins love raisins and hate blackbirds!

The Latin name of the American Robin is Turdus migratorius meaning 

‘Migrating thrush’.  This name says a lot about them.  ‘Turdus’ places them in the thrush family – birds known for their melodious songs.  And ‘migratorius’ highlights their strong instinct to travel with the seasons.  But do robins actually migrate?  The short answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no’ depending on the nesting area of the robin.  Mostly they just change their behavior in the winter so you don’t notice them as much.  They make small migratory movements to find food.  For us in the Upstate of South Carolina we see fewer resident robins in the summer due to the stress of heat.  This causes a change in their behavior – migrating northward.  Robins located across the northern border of the USA will migrate south in winter due to frigid temperatures and lack of food.  They fly about 30 to 36 mph and on good days cover roughly 100 to 200 miles per day.  Come winter, we see large flocks of migrating robins relocating to dine in our front yards.  At winter’s end, the male robin migrates north in March to breeding grounds about 2 weeks before the female to stake out his territory with plenty of food.  For the robin “it’s the early bird that catches the Worm!”

Males sing their early morning song, and females listen for the best, most reproductively fit male.  They build their nest from grass, pliable twigs, and mud carried by mouthfuls from a puddle to cement the materials together.  Robins usually raise 2 to 3 broods per season, with each clutch containing 3 to 5 blue eggs.  Females incubate the eggs, which hatch after 12 to 14 days.  Both parents take turns feeding worms and small insects to the babies.  They fledge or attempt to fly for the first time in 9 to 16 days.  They become capable fliers after about 2 more weeks at which time they join other fledgling to form new flocks.  

The American Robin has a very large and healthy population estimated at around 370 million plus across North America, making it one of the continent's most abundant landbirds.  Robins might be common, but they’re far from ordinary.  Every time I see one hop across our yard, I’m reminded that the beauty of new beginnings doesn’t have to be rare.  Sometimes, it’s right in front of us singing its heart out!●