See all posts in the Birds of Carver County series

The American Robin has a scientific name Turdus migratorius that is Latin, meaning wandering thrush.

Europeans named it a robin because its coloration reminded them of the tiny, red-breasted robins in their homeland forests. It is our most frequently reported species, and its distribution extends across most of North America.

The American Robin is considered an economically beneficial species because it consumes vast numbers of cutworms, grubs and other injurious insects that affect crops. The species’ size and time spent on the ground have made it one of the most recognizable birds and incorporated it into our culture. In many parts of the county, the robin is seen as the sign that spring has or will soon arrive.  We like the robin, and it appears to like us. It is a relationship that has withstood the test of time.

The adult American Robin is about 10” long, with a 17-inch wingspan. It has a gray-brown back, warm orange breast, a dark head with thin white crescents above and below the eyes, a thin white throat and a yellow bill. Females have a paler breast with less contrast. In flight, a white lower belly patch and under-tail area stand out  In May to September, juveniles have spotted chests and backs.

In flight, the American Robin has several smooth wing beats interspersed with a short glide when wings are held close to the body. They regularly visit bird baths, puddles and shallow streams. The bather wades into water until its belly is submerged, dips forward while fluffing breast feathers, lowers and flutters its wings, wetting them and splashing water over back and tail. Repeating the splashing sequence several times, it then shakes off water and flies to a nearby perch to preen.

To communicate with other robins, they call with a cuck or tuk. Their alarm call may be a yeep or peek. The male’s song is a clear, lilting musical whistle of a few repeated phrases then a pause, then more phrases. Bird books describe this as “cheerily, cheer-up.”

One of the first birds to begin singing in the morning and one of the last to be heard singing in the evening, it has one of the longest periods of song activity of the common songbirds. The primary functions of the male’s song are to defend territories and to attract females. A pair that has formed will stay together for the season.  Robins may form small groups in winter here. In warmer states, winter flocks can be large — hundreds or thousands.

Our familiarity with robins usually begins with observing them in yards and parks. We see them run on the ground, pause to look for food (even though they appear to be listening) or probe the ground for earthworms. After lawns have been mowed, robins appear to take advantage of the improved visibility to find food in the shorter grass.

Because the robin forages largely on lawns, it is vulnerable to pesticide poisoning. They may come to feeder trays to eat mealworms, shelled sunflower seeds and berries from trees or bushes. When they eat honeysuckle berries exclusively, they sometimes become intoxicated. 

Open ground for foraging, and trees and shrubs are features of suitable habitats for nesting. In spring, males attract females by singing, raising and spreading their tails, shaking their wings and inflating their white-striped throats. Females will return to the area where they fledged and where they previously nested. Females build the nest, shaping a cup of grass and twigs reinforced with mud, creating a sturdy structure. She then lines the nest with fine dry grass. She typically lays three to five eggs that are sky blue or blue green.

The eggs are incubated for about a week. Then two weeks pass for the young to fledge. Feeding young is done by both parents. Each nestling gets 35 to 40 feedings per day. The parents provide food for another three weeks after the young have left the nest. Adults may raise a second brood if weather and food conditions permit. Their young will migrate to wintering locations with their parents.

American Robins are so familiar to us they have become a standard that allows us to describe the size and behavior of other birds. Children’s books contain illustrations of them. Artists and painters use the term “robin’s egg blue” and we know what they mean. “The early bird gets the worm” is a phrase that has become a characteristic of a successful worker.

It’s appropriate that this species is presented early in this year’s edition of The Birds of Carver County.

For more information:

• The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Allen Sibley
• Reader’s Digest Book of North American Birds
• Birds of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Janssen, Tessen, and Kennedy
• Breeding Birds of Minnesota, Pfannmuller, Niemi and Green
• The Audubon Society’s Encyclopedia of North American Birds, John K. Terres
• Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Online: All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology LINK
• Online: Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas