The American Robin

This morning I woke to the cheery music of an American Robin, singing from a high branch in a locust tree. The robin is so common to our backyards that most people recognize it on sight: the full bright orange breast is easy to spot. And who hasn’t watched robins dash about the lawn in search of worms, though they also eat fruit. In fact, like all birds in the thrush family (TURDIDAE), robins are actually woodland birds that have adapted well to human development (yards, gardens, and fields). But you’ll still find robins in the woods, just as you’ll find the Veery, Wood Thrush, and Hermit Thrush, to name a few. (Photo courtesy of Charles H. Warren.)

The American Robin’s song is itself something to sing about. A prominent voice in the spring, the robin’s music is loud and lovely! I recently discovered a wonderful web page that provides audio files of six distinctive vocalizations of the American Robin. You’ll also find names and descriptions of these sounds to help you recognize them the next time a robin chooses to sing or call in your backyard—which is probably often!

Don’t delay! Go to this site NOW for a little bit of springtime delight!

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/robin/Dictionary.html

And till next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne