Robin Bird

Animals Unique | Robin Bird | The robin is a small bird, originally only found in Europe and Asia. The robin today can be found across the world in parts of Africa, North America and New Zealand but all of these species are believed robin to be subspecies of the European robin.

The European robin has a bright orange / red chest and is the most distinctive bird of the robin family. Despite the bright chest of the European robin, other species of female robins are fairly plain and brown in color. The female robin is very similar in both size and appearance to the nightingale and the two are commonly confused.

The New Zealand and the North American robin robins look fairly similar to the female European robins, and all these Robins are brown in color. The North American robin is not to be confused with the American robin the which is actually a member of the thrush family rather than being a species of robin. The American robin is named after the European robin due to it's brightly colored orange chest.

 

There are thought to be more than 45 different species of robin found on the Australian continent Including Australia, Papua New Guinea and Numerous other islands in the South Pacific. These birds are known as Australasian Robins and are all small sized, with a stocky build and rounded head.

Robins are omnivorous birds feeding on a mixture of both plants and animals. The robin primarily eats insects and worms, the which it does so by swooping down on them from the perch it has been watching it's prey from. Robins sit on tree branches and in hedgerows watching Their prey moving around on the ground before Suddenly They fly down to eat. Robins also eat fruits, seeds and berries when They are in Abundance during the warmer months of the year.

 

Generally, Robins do not migrate (particularly Those found in the UK). It is known however, that Robins That Inhabit Those areas within the Arctic circle, Such as Scandinavia, do migrate south to the warmer climates of the United Kingdom and parts of Europe to escape the bitterly cold winters.

Robins mate in the late winter to early spring. Female Robins build a nest not far from the ground in trees or dense Generally hedgerows. It is not uncommon however to find Robins nesting is slightly strange places Such as holes in stone walls and even in letter boxes. The female robin lays four or five white colored eggs hatch after an incubation That period of just under 2 weeks. Although the male robin does not help to incubate the eggs, male Robins are known to bring the female food whilst Robins They are sitting on Their nest.

 

When the chicks hatch robin They are a brown color and do not develop the bright orange chest of Their parents until They are older. The female robin chicks regularly leaves her in order to help the male collect food robin. Both parents are known to feed Their robin chicks for the first month, although robin families are known to abandon Their original nest after two weeks of the chicks Hatching and find somewhere new where food is in the Greater supply.

Due to Their small size, Robins have a number of natural predators in the wild Including cats, dogs, foxes, raccoons and even larger birds. Other Such animals as rats and snakes are known to eat the eggs of the robin if for some reason the female robin can not protect them.

Robin Bird Facts
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
Genus: Erithacus
Scientific Name: Erithacus Rubecula
Type: Bird
Diet: omnivore
Size (L): 12.5cm - 14cm (5in - 5.5in)
Wing Span: 20cm - 22cm (8in - 9in)
Weight: 16g - 22g (0.5oz - 0.7oz)
Top Speed: 29km / h (18mph)
Life Span: 1-3 years
Lifestyle: Solitary
Conservation Status: Threatened
Colour: Brown, White, Orange
Skin Type: Feathers
Favourite Food: Worms
Habitat: Woodland, Farmland and hedgerows
Average Clutch Size: 4
Main Prey: Worms, Insects, Fruit, Berries
Predators: Cats, Dogs, Raccoon, foxes
Distinctive Features: Small body size and bright red chest of lazy