Cheerily, Cheer Up: The American Robin Greets the Day
The Great Outdoors | May 1, 2024
By Jackie Scharfenberg, Retired DNR Naturalist
“Cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up!” That’s how an American robin (Turdis migratorius) greets the day, sings for a mate, and defends a territory. All from a high tree perch! We boast of being the largest thrush family member, and the most widespread. Robins range across most of North American into Central America setting up territories in a wide variety of habitats from gardens to forests. In winter we come together in huge mixed-aged flocks occupying moist woods with lots of berry-producing trees and shrubs.
APPEARANCE
We males love to show off with our singing and good looks. Males sport classy plumages of gray-brown backs, wings and tails, orange-colored breasts, almost black heads, white specs around the eyes, and black and white striped throats. In flight take note of the white patches on our lower bellies and undertails, and white tipped tail corners. Females possess paler colored heads and less vibrant orange breasts. Young blend with their streaked breasts, mottled backs, and pale facial markings.
MIGRATION
Most of us migrate from our northern summer homes to spend winters near the Gulf of Mexico. Each year a few hardy birds decide to remain in the cold North throughout the winter, so what you think is the first robin of spring, maybe one of those who stayed all winter!
DIET
To keep up our energy, we forage a lot on the ground for insects, earthworms, snails, and lots of fruit – up to 60 percent of our diet. We really like eating fruits that have bugs in them. We prefer earthworms in the morning and more fruit later in the day. You may spy us as we run on the ground, make quick stops, check out our environs, and cock our heads to one side to look for worms. Parents feed their young mostly insects and earthworms.
NESTING
Nesting starts early in spring so that we have time to raise two or three clutches each season. The female selects a sheltered spot among the leaves in a tree, shrub, or vine or on a shelf-like spot on a building usually not too high up. Next, she builds her nest from the inside out. Using the “wrist” of one wing, she presses grass, twigs, and other materials into a cup shape which she reinforces on the outside with mud often gathered from worm castings. She finishes by lining the inside with soft grass. She constructs a new nest for each clutch. After completing the nest, she lays three to five plain blue eggs that she incubates for 12 to 14 days. The young, born helpless, mostly naked, and blind, quickly grow leaving the nest in about 13 days. The parents feed the young for another two weeks before they head out on their own. If you find one of our fumbling young, just leave it alone, for the parents are probably nearby ready to defend or feed it.
On spring/summer day, step outside then listen for our “cheerily, cheer up.” Aren’t you glad to have such a cheery Wisconsin state bird?
