American robin
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| American Robin | ||||||||||||||
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 Adult
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| Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 "in America septentrionali" |
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The American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is a migratory songbird of the thrush family, Turdidae. It is called a "robin" because it has an orange-red breast similar to that of the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula), although it is not related to it. The American Robin can be found all over North America. It lives from Florida to central Mexico and along the Pacific Coast during the winter. It has seven subspecies, but only T. m. confinus in the southwest has a particularly special coloring pattern, with pale gray-brown underparts. It is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
The American Robin is most active during the day and groups together in large flocks at night. It eats invertebrates (such as beetle, grubs and caterpillars), fruits and berries. In spring it is one of the first bird species to lay eggs. It begins to breed shortly after returning to North America after spending the winter in the south. Its nest is made of long grass, small pieces of trees, paper, and feathers. The nest is covered with mud and often made soft with grass or other soft materials. It is one of the first birds to sing at dawn. Its song is made up of several small groups of sounds that are repeated.
The adult Robin is hunted by hawks, cats, and larger snakes. Sometimes the Brown-headed Cowbird lays its eggs in the robin's nest (this is called Brood parasitism), but the Robin usually rejects the cowbird eggs.
