American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Also called robin.
The bird whose feeding behaviour everyone has watched without naming it: run, stop, cock the head, pull a worm. It is a thrush, and the head-cocking is looking rather than listening.
- Size
- Robin to jay — 23–28 cm
- Bill
- Thin and pointed
- Where
- yard, woodland, open field
- Season
- year round
What it looks like
Grey-brown above with a brick-orange breast, a dark head, a white throat streaked with black, and a yellow bill with a dark tip. A white crescent above and below the eye.
The checks that confirm it
- Brick-orange breast and belly against a dark grey back.
- Yellow bill — the fastest check against anything else orange-breasted.
- Broken white eye-ring.
- Runs and stops across open lawn rather than hopping continuously.
Voice
A rich caroling phrase often written 'cheerily, cheer up, cheer up'. Among the first birds singing before dawn.
Attracting it
Not a seed feeder bird. Mealworms, fruit, and a birdbath. A lawn free of insecticide does more than any feeder.
Confused with
Much smaller, bright blue above, and it perches to hunt rather than running on the ground.
Black hood, red eye, and heavy white spotting on the wings.
Questions about this bird
How do you identify a american robin?
Brick-orange breast and belly against a dark grey back. Yellow bill — the fastest check against anything else orange-breasted.
What does a american robin sound like?
A rich caroling phrase often written 'cheerily, cheer up, cheer up'. Among the first birds singing before dawn.
How do you attract a american robin?
Not a seed feeder bird. Mealworms, fruit, and a birdbath. A lawn free of insecticide does more than any feeder.