Our native Robin is not closely related to the bird that the English
call "Robin Redbreast." He is rather a relative of the Bluebird and the
Thrush. Before the young of the Robin leave the nest, their breasts are
speckled as are the breasts of the Thrushes. After the first moult, this
marking disappears. Some of the Robins are with us all through the year.
However, only the hardiest of them stay during the Winter. The majority
travel to the warmer climates. Those who come to us from the South
arrive about the first of March and depart toward the end of October.
Song:
"In the sunshine and the rain
I hear the robin in the lane
Singing. 'Cheerily,
Cheer up, cheer up;
Cheerily, Cheerily, Cheerily, Cheer up'."
A writer in "A Masque of Poets" has described the cheer in the Robin's
song very well. Robin music has real melody and expression. Indeed,
there are very few of our birds that have what might be called as great
a vocabulary, or as many expressive notes, as has this familiar bird.
Nest: The nest of the Robin is built of grasses, rootlets and leaves.
The interior is well lined or plastered with a layer of mud.
Another layer of fine grass forms the bed upon which the greenish
blue eggs are laid. These eggs are from three to five in number.
Robins often raise two families each year. The young of the first
brood leave the nest toward the first of July.
Food: In June and July, Robins feed to some extent upon berries and
similar fruits. However, what little harm they may do in this way
is vastly offset by the good that is done during the rest of the
year. The Robins are gleaners of insects. They eat great
quantities of beetles and their grubs, grasshoppers, crickets,
ants and other plant pests. One of the most comical sights of bird
feeding is to see a large, round, healthy Robin struggle to pull a
resisting, equally healthy, earthworm from its hole in the ground.
Often, the worm breaks in two and the Robin, suddenly and most
unexpectedly, tumbles over backward. The Robin seems to "Listen"
for the worm as he walks and hops over the lawn in the early
morning.
[Illustration: Song: The song of the Robin in early Spring tells us
that warm weather is not far off. We look for his brick red breast
and watch him as he feeds about our lawns and gardens.]
[Illustration: _The Robin--10 inches_]