- Erithacus rubecula
Description
Location: Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park, Billingham
Brown back, blue grey cheeks, orange red breast(juvenile has a mottled brown body). In continental Europe the Robin is a shy bird whereas in the UK it is incredibly tame.
Habitat
Gardens, woods, hedges and anywhere else with trees
Breeding
Domed nest of leaves in hedge or dense bush. Robins can use specialsed nest boxes and can nest anywhere including flower pots in garden sheds.
Food
Mostly on the ground after insect, berries and seeds. Comes to feeders and bird tables for seed mixtures.
Song/Voice
Both males and females will sing all year at any time. The song is an attractive rich warbling.
When
In Summer in North & East Europe. All year in South and West, residents joined by migratory birds in winter.
Identification
Abundant and widespread in the British Isles, France and most of Iberia east to the foothills of the Urals. Found throughout Scandinavia except the higher mountains and far north, and in the south from southern Spain to Greece, northern Turkey and the Caucasus. Also breeds in the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands, and patchily in northern parts of Morocco, Algeria and north-west Tunisia. Has bred in the Faroes.
From central Europe northwards and eastwards mainly migratory, a partial migrant over much of remainder and resident in the south. Winter range more extensive occurring widely in southern Europe and southern Russia, Turkey and the Middle East, and North Africa.
Vagrants recorded north to Iceland (has attempted breeding), Jan Mayen, Bear Island and Svalbard, also south to Mauritania.
Subspecies Several races occur in the Region differing in depth of colour above and on breast but field separation of most is rarely possible except sometimes in fresh plumage. British birds melophilus differ from nominate Continental birds in darker upperparts and deeper orange below. Races such as tataricus from the far east of the Region are notably greyer above than western European birds. E.r.superbus from Gran Canaria and Tenerife (but not the remaining Canary Islands where nominate occurs) is rather distinctive, pale eye-ring, deep red face and breast and white belly separated from dark grey brown upperparts by a broad silvery band. Recently proposed as a full species - the Tenerife Robin.
Habitat Woodland of various kinds, usually deciduous or mixed but purely coniferous in some areas. Found in lower branches of trees and in bushes and shrubs, usually feeding on the ground. Common in parks and gardens, especially in Britain, also hedgerows and road verges but avoids most open spaces.
Bird Song
<flashmp3>Erithacus rubecula (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
