Why The Robin Is Such A Popular Uk Bird And What You Can Do To Help It

The Robin is one of Britains most popular birds and is commonly found on Christmas cards

. The reason for this is that in Victorian England the postmen were nicknamed Robins because of their red uniforms. Although they only feature on Christmas cards they are actually residents of the UK all year round and they rarely migrate.

They are also commonly found across the rest of Western Europe. During the winter when some Robins do choose to migrate they are likely to do migrate to Northern Africa and then in the summer the birds that do choose to migrate commonly choose Eastern Europe as their summer resting ground. Unfortunately the Robins do not like to migrate leaving them to fight the harsh winters which has led to their numbers declining.

Robins are not very big birds and when fully sized they are between 12.5-14cm and weigh 16-22g. As well as this they seem like friendly birds but this is not the case, they are very territorial and are likely to drive away any intruders that they come across in an aggressive manner. Unlike most birds they are not very shy either. Although they are aggressive animals it is still a criminal offence to harm a Robin. They are likely to come close to people when digging through soil for earthworms. But they also approach large animals like the wild boar as they disturb the ground and are likely to dig out earthworms by accident leaving them for the Robin to eat.

Food wise the Robin is not very particular about what they eat. As mentioned before they hunt earthworms regularly but as well as this they hunt down other common insects for food. During the winter they will struggle to find this food so they will need help. They will need something to drink during the winter as lakes freeze over. If you have a bird bath you can add a small ball to the surface of the water and this will prevent it from freezing over as the ball is likely to move during the night preventing any freezing.

Within the UK Robins can be found in woodland areas or just areas where there are bushes or trees. As well as this there are around 5.9 million areas that are classed as breeding areas for Robins just in the UK but as mentioned before numbers are declining. If you leave food out in your garden it would help towards saving many of them. In the Garden they are not particular about what they eat although they are known to have a sweet tooth. They enjoy fruit cake, coconut cake and uncooked pastry. If you want to get closer to them when they are around they are likely to eat meal worms out of your hand.

Male and Female Robins look alike so the normal eye it is near impossible to tell the difference. They start mating around March time and are likely to make nests in trees. Sometimes Robins do choose stranger places for their nests like kettles that have been thrown away, BBQs, upturned brooms and bicycles but this is rare. If you leave small plants pots or other small yet open containers they could use them to nest. They make their nest by collecting dead leaves, moss and grass making it rather comfortable for them. The nest is then lined with hair so that the nest is also warm for them during the winter.

Robins normally have two or three nests and lay around 5 eggs in each one. If you find a Robins nest with eggs in it you do not have to do anything in particular, but if you or a neighbour has a cat keep an eye on the nest as they are vulnerable if they are low down. The eggs are either cream with white speckles or a reddish brown colour. To keep the eggs incubated the female robin will sit on the egg until it is hatched and then on both parents will feed the baby robins until they are big enough to leave the nest and hunt for themselves.

The typical Robin is likely to live for 1.1 years but after it has survived its first year the Robin can expect to live for much longer. It has been recorded for a Robin to have lived for 12 years. Because of its relatively short life expectancy is unlikely for a Robin to revisit a garden year after year.

by: Marcus Finch

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