BirdInTheTardis
Member
So I was out birding in my backyard today, and I observed a behavior I've never seen before.
For reference, I live pretty deep in the woods. American Robins have nested within the vicinity of our house for as long as I can remember; this year, we had a nest in our apple tree. The young have since left the nest and are in the process of fledging right now. Today, I saw both the mother and father, as well as one of the fledglings.
Anyway, I first observed the three of them at 12:45pm, then just the female when I returned twenty minutes later. This time, the female was carrying a small, dead mouse. The mouse appeared to be young and freshly killed, though it was not moving. She then continued to try to swallow the mouse several times, getting at most half of it in her mouth, before dropping it (seemingly accidentally?) and returning to her normal routine.
I've never seen a robin carry, let alone try to eat, a mouse or any other small animal. Has anyone else observed this? And, why might a robin want to eat a mouse when there are plenty of other more desirable options for them?
For reference, I live pretty deep in the woods. American Robins have nested within the vicinity of our house for as long as I can remember; this year, we had a nest in our apple tree. The young have since left the nest and are in the process of fledging right now. Today, I saw both the mother and father, as well as one of the fledglings.
Anyway, I first observed the three of them at 12:45pm, then just the female when I returned twenty minutes later. This time, the female was carrying a small, dead mouse. The mouse appeared to be young and freshly killed, though it was not moving. She then continued to try to swallow the mouse several times, getting at most half of it in her mouth, before dropping it (seemingly accidentally?) and returning to her normal routine.
I've never seen a robin carry, let alone try to eat, a mouse or any other small animal. Has anyone else observed this? And, why might a robin want to eat a mouse when there are plenty of other more desirable options for them?
