By Kylie Williamson

Have you ever looked out your window and noticed a small bird that seemed to amuse itself for hours by pecking at its reflection in a window, or in a shiny surface on a car, windshield, or hubcap? It’s most likely an American robin. Though this doesn’t seem to be an action of much intelligence, it’s actually part of the male Robin’s instinct for protecting his territory. If another male enters into his area, he will fly at the intruder to try to scare him away. If that fails, he will dive bomb the enemy and try to collide chest to chest.

A member of class Aves, birds; order Passeriformes, song birds;, and family Turdidae, the Thrush family, Turdus migratorius is one of the largest and most numerous American thrushes. What exactly is a thrush? By definition, a thrush is a small songbird having a brownish upper body and a spotted breast. But just how can you identify the American robin from any other songbird?

The most noticeable physical characteristic of the American robin is that of the male’s brightly colored chest. The breast and under-parts are a brilliant brick red, which elicits the strong aggressive response during breeding season that we discussed earlier. The body ranges in length from nine to eleven inches, while the wingspan of the bird is usually between fourteen and sixteen inches allowing the animal to reach flight speeds up to thirty-six miles per hour. The top and sides of the head are black; extending down to the white chin which has black streaks. The primary flight feathers are grayish in color, while the tail feathers are black with a little white spot on each of the outer tail feathers. These tints give the bird an overall olive-green color. The female bird is marked much like the male, but her hues are much duller.

The song of the American robin can most often be heard after a rain, or in the morning. Many say that "Cheer-up, Cheerio, Cheer-up", is the tune the birds sing. But in reality, the bird has many different tunes. The different sounds are used for everything from arousing the opposite sex to intimidating intruders.

The American robin is found in woodlands, gardens, orchards, lawns and fields throughout North America, from extreme northern Canada as far south as Guatemala. The birds are abundant throughout the United States during their breeding season from April to July. By September the birds become more furtive and shy, and begin to migrate south in large nomadic flocks. In much of the United States, the sight of the first Robin after winter is a sign of spring.

As the seasons change, so do the birds’ appetites. During breeding season, the birds live on insects and earthworms, but as the year passes, their diet becomes that of a vegetarian, consisting of fruits and berries.

Though the breeding season is only a few months, the female usually produces two to three broods consisting of three to five glossy blue eggs apiece. The eggs are incubated by the female for about two weeks in a nest that the female herself took great care in building. The female robin builds a cup-shaped nest of mud, sticks, paper, twigs, and feathers, and eventually lines the nest with soft grasses to cushion her eggs. The nest is most commonly built five to fifteen feet above the ground in a dense bush, in the crotch of a tree, on a window ledge, or on another human structure. The male assists in raising the chicks by sometimes feeding them, and also gathering materials for the nest.

Years ago, the fat and juicy flesh of the Robin was held in very high regard, and even seen as a delicacy. Today, the American Robin is seen just as any other bird. Some believe it an asset or an aid controlling unwanted insects such as beetles. Others, most often cultivators, see the bird as a nuisance because they destroy their berry crops. Others detest the bird because it pecks at the polished surfaces of their homes and cars. Whatever your opinion may be, robins are no longer hunted for food in the states, and their songs, a signal of spring, will continue to be heard.

Written fall 2000, as a service learning project for Dr. Gary Coté's Biology 102 class at Radford University. Copyright Pathways for Radford.