The scientific name for the America robin is Turdus migratorius
Pictured here are several robin eggs sitting in a tree about four feet off the ground. I chose this picture because when I think Midwest bird, I immediately think of the American robin. I wanted to use this photo of their eggs because they remind me of spring. With this being a January gallery, I couldn’t ask for spring to be here soon enough!
The robin is named after the European robin for its reddish-orange breast. They are otherwise not closely related. The scientific name for the America robin is Turdus migratorius. With “Turdus” meaning thrush and “migratorius” meaning to migrate—both originating from Latin words. This bird belongs to the Family Turdidae, which contains the thrush family.
American robins have a broad distribution. They breed throughout most of North America, from as far north as Alaska and Canada, and as far south to northern Florida and Mexico. Most members of this species will migrate south during the winter months. They have been known to be vagrants in several other northern hemisphere countries including Great Britain, Greenland, Sweden, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Belize.
If you watch an American robin for long enough, you’ll see that their diet is made up of about 40% invertebrates and 60% fruits and berries. On the invertebrate side of their diet, they eat earthworms, beetle grubs, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and more. As it pertains to their diet of fruits and berries, the consumption includes cherries, blackberries, beautyberries, wild grapes, hackberries, bayberries, blueberries, honeysuckle, raspberry, juniper, and more.
American robins begin breeding shortly after returning to their summer range. They are a sign of spring, as they are one of the first birds to lay eggs. They may have two or three broods in a season. They will lay 3 to 4 eggs per brood, and they lay one egg per day. The eggs than incubate for about 12-14 days with the female tending to the incubation. The eggs have the bright blue color as depicted in this photo.
American robins are a sign of spring, as they are one of the first birds to lay eggs
Did you know?
- The hatchlings are primarily fed earthworms.
- Some robins can live to be 14 years old! The average lifespan is about 6 years.
- They will sometimes exhibit intoxication from eating fermented berries.
- American robins are known to roost with as many as 250,000 birds at a time in winter.
0 Comments