American Robins sing from yards and parks across much of the United States each spring. Their orange breast and quick stop-and-go walk make them easy to recognize.
Appearance
Appearance
A large thrush, about 8–11 in (20–28 cm) long, with a gray-brown back, dark head, yellow bill, and warm orange breast. Females and western birds can look paler.
Voice
Its spring song is a series of clear, rising and falling whistles.
The Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius) has a dark band across the orange chest, an orange eyebrow, and orange wing bars. An American Robin lacks that bold chest band.
Why they get mixed up · Both are large thrushes with orange underparts.
The Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) has rusty sides around a white center belly and a thick, triangular bill. The robin has an orange breast and a slimmer yellow bill.
Where it lives
Typical habitats
lawns and parks
open woods
forest edges
Range
Robins live year-round across much of the United States. Birds breeding in Alaska and Canada move south in fall; some winter in the Southwest and Gulf Coast.
Seasonal presence
Year-round resident or short-distance migrant, depending on location.
When it’s recorded
Recorded year-round, every year · most records in Apr
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197,237 observations in the US · 10 years · for reference
Behavior
Diet
Earthworms and insects are important in spring and summer; fruit becomes more important in fall and winter.
Activity
It runs a few steps across a lawn, stops, and scans the ground before pulling up food.
Life cycle
Nest
The female builds a grass-and-twig cup strengthened with mud, often on a tree branch or a building ledge.