Birds and Birding's Guide to:

Watching THE SPARROW-LIKE BIRDS

THE SONG BIRDS

THE THRUSHES

The song of the American Robin

The song is thought by many to resemble closely that of the European Blackbird, but it is apparently briefer and more monotonous. The Robin builds a large, poorly concealed nest of grasses, leaves, rootlets, etc., within which is a substantial lining wall of mud, which is itself lined with soft grasses. The nest, which is rarely more than ten or twelve feet from the ground, is usually placed in a fruit or shade tree, on a fence rail or stump, or occasionally in a porch or outbuilding; the four or five eggs are greenish blue and usually unmarked. They usually rear two, and in the southern part of their range sometimes three, broods in a season. A curious and interesting chapter in their life history was apparently first brought to scientific attention by Mr. William Brewster, some fifteen years ago. In the latter part of June, after the first broods are able to fly well, they are led nightly by the old males to some chosen roosting place, where they congregate either for companionship or mutual protection, in numbers that range from a hundred or two to very many thousands. These”roosts”are usually located in swampy areas, where there is a dense growth of thick-foliaged young trees, and each roost draws all the Robins from the surrounding country, often several square miles in area. They come trooping in from all directions about dusk and leave at the earliest break of dawn, the young to forage about the country and the old males to assist in caring for the second brood. When these are reared they, together with the old females, resort to the roost, which may then assume stupendous proportions. From this time until their departure in the fall they are found in flocks, often of large size, and in their winter home they are found together.
The food of the Robin is extremely varied, though always largely insectivorous. During their southern sojourn they feed particularly on berries of the holly, sparkle berry, etc., but after their return to the summer home they subsist, at first almost entirely on worms and insects of various kinds, and are then extremely valuable in reducing the numbers of these pests. But for this benefit to the agriculturist they levy tribute on the various small fruits, especially cherries, raspberries, and strawberries, and at times do considerable damage.
In the fall they resort in numbers to feed upon wild cherries, alder berries, of which they are excessively fond, as well as cedar berries, and altogether are of far more value than the price of the comparatively few fruits they consume.

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