At a time when the Robin, Britain’s favourite bird, is everywhere and not just in the garden, Tim Reed, Great Ouse Valley Trust, reveals its true nature – and with a few surprises!
Robins seem to be always there but they are walking and flying contradictions. They live less than two years, and so the bird in your garden is probably not the same one as last year - our population is increased by European birds every winter.
And conversely some of our females often winter in Spain or France. And it seems strange indeed that a bird we regard as an endearing symbol of Christmas will kill a competitor that comes onto its territory!
At 20 gm, the seemingly chubby Robin is a small bird with a high demand for food. It can lose up to 10 per cent of its body weight on a cold night. As a mainly ground feeder, the challenge is to survive the winter - especially when snow covers the ground.
In both males and females that places a heavy demand on winning an area that provides food and shelter. Shelter, from predators and cold, is the most critical factor to help survival. Robins will eat almost any food on a bird feeder to both ward off the cold and stock up for the night ahead.
Wintering males stay on their breeding territories, whilst females move around and defend their own areas, before pairing up in spring. Both sexes sing in winter as part of their territory advertising – it expends less energy than fights.
What’s in a name? Robin Redbreast, or similar, is the informal name in English, Dutch, German and French. In the UK, the redbreast label comes from the similarity to the ‘robins’ – red-garbed mid-Victorian postmen.
Like them, the confiding Robin seems chatty, and lingers near a gardener before popping off to next door. This name soon became linked to pictures and seasonal cards.
The seemingly faithful female Robin may well have extra-pair affairs. DNA shows that eggs in the two to three clutches per year often have mixed parentage. Females and males look alike, the young are scruffy and spotty (sound familiar?) before moulting into their traditional livery.
So there’s certainly more to our Christmas Robin than meets the eye
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