American Robin

Robins are easily identified by their bright orange-red breasts, grayish-brown backs, and white throats with black streaks. These medium-sized birds are commonly seen hopping on lawns, searching for worms and insects. They have a distinctive upright posture and a sweet, melodic song that is often one of the first bird songs heard in spring. Their song consists of a series of clear, whistled phrases, often described as “cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up.”

ROBIN BACKYARDS TIPS

Robins are ground feeders, primarily eating insects, earthworms, and berries. To attract robins to your yard, offer foods such as mealworms, chopped fruits, and suet. Since they prefer to feed on the ground, a platform feeder, a ground mounted suet cage or simply scattering food directly on the lawn is most effective. They are less likely to visit traditional hanging bird feeders, however, during their breeding season, they also will take sunflower hearts from a feeder.

Robins don’t typically use enclosed birdhouses, but they do appreciate open-fronted nesting platforms. They often build their nests in trees, shrubs, or on man-made structures like window ledges and eaves. You can encourage robins to nest in your yard by providing a nesting shelf in a sheltered location or maintaining a garden with dense shrubs and small trees for natural nesting sites.