The Robin is the most familiar and most loved of all our garden birds. Indeed, even folk not especially interested in birds will still talk about ‘their’ Robin in their garden. Actually though, it’s the predictable, tame and trusting nature of Robins which fools people into thinking it’s the same bird they see year-after-year, when in fact it’s almost certainly a different individual – Robins have an average lifespan of only around one year, and about one in four never even reach the age of one. Both male and female adult Robins have the same distinct red breast and can’t be confused with any other UK bird, though youngsters have a speckled brown breast. Interestingly, the behaviour we see in Robins on our shores is very different to mainland Europe, where they’re a shy and secretive species of the forest.
Nests are nearly always built in some sort crevice, hole, or tucked behind something. So walls, dead trees, banks, piles of logs, in climbing plants against a wall or fence etc. Open-fronted nest boxes will be used but only if they’re well hidden – e.g. in a climbing wall plant. The nest is usually close to the ground or even on it. The female Robin takes care of the nest building, which is a neat cup made up of dead grass, leaves and moss, then lined with hair. There are two, sometimes three, broods per season, with 4-6 eggs in the clutch which the female alone incubates. The male bird provides much of the female’s food during nest building, egg laying and the incubation period.
Small worms, insects, insect larvae and spiders make up much of the diet, plus also seeds, soft fruit and berries in the winter months. In the garden, our suggested foods are: Sunflower Heart Chips, Chopped Peanuts, Robin and Friends Seed Mix, plus Live Mealworms – especially in the breeding season as adult birds will feed them to their young.
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