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SPECIES ACCOUNT
AMERICAN ROBIN
(Turdus migratorius)
Vineyard Overview: Perhaps the most familiar
bird to most Islanders, the American Robin is a
common and widespread nesting species, an
abundant (sometimes mind-bogglingly abundant)
migrant, and an often-numerous wintering species on
the Vineyard. Robins do nest in natural areas on the
Island, and members of migratory populations that
visit us in the colder months can be surprisingly wild
and wary. But this species adapts readily to humanmodified habitats, and most of the robins that nest on
the Vineyard probably do so in yards and settled
areas, where they are often successful, sometimes
prolific breeders.
The “first robin of spring” is a time-honored emblem
of the changing seasons, but in fact this species is
present year-round on the Vineyard. Wintering
robins associate strongly with fruit-bearing shrubs
and vines, which may mean anything from a crabapple tree in a yard to a greenbriar thicket in deep
woodland. Numbers of wintering robins vary
dramatically from year to year depending on the
severity of the winter; paradoxically, a severe cold
snap can actually increase the numbers of robins on
the Vineyard, as birds from farther north seek refuge
in more southern locations. As with many birds, snow
cover poses a serious threat to wintering robins, since
it makes food harder to find, and robin numbers
typically thin out dramatically after a significant
snowfall.
In late winter and early spring, the northbound
movement of robins becomes apparent, with
numbers increasing and small flocks appearing in
A familiar site nearly anywhere on the Vineyard: an alert American
Robin. Photo: Lee Carney/USFWS
places that lacked robins the day before. In late
March and early April, males of this species begin to
sing, and the gregarious habits that characterize
winter flocks begin to give way to strong territoriality.
By the mid-April, the flow of transient robins has
largely stopped, and breeding individuals have begun
building nests – robust structures of woven grass and
mud, usually set in a fork in a tree or shrub branch
somewhere between six and 20 feet off the ground.
Pairs that lose their first set of eggs or young will try
again, and successful breeders often attempt a second
brood later in the summer.
Identification: This is a bird that needs little
introduction: the medium size, gray back, and
reddish-orange underparts are distinctive and almost
universally known. A closer look reveals a broken
white ring (or sometimes a set of white “spectacles”)
around the eye, a yellow beak, and grayish-white
streaking on the throat.
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18 Helen Avenue, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
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The song of a robin, given mainly early in the
morning and in the evening, is also easy to recognize.
It consists of a series of short, whistled phrases, each
with two or three notes: “Cheer up! Cheer up!
Cheerily!”
Ecological functions: American robins flourish in
the semi-open conditions of residential
neighborhoods, foraging on lawns as well as in more
sheltered sites, feeding on fruit-bearing trees and
shrubs, and nesting in a shrubs or small trees. As a
common predator in these settings, robins are an
important force in the regulation of invertebrate
populations. Like most songbirds, robins rely heavily
on insects as prey, and appear to be fairly
indiscriminate in their prey selection. So they
undoubtedly consume insects we consider beneficial
as well as harmful ones. But the overall effect is
probably to put pressure on any species or group of
species that becomes especially common; by foraging
on the most abundant and readily available prey
items, robins tend to help keep insect populations in
balance. The overall ecological impact of robins is
undoubtedly helpful.
Like other fruit-eating birds, robins help disperse the
seeds of fruit-bearing trees and shrubs. And like other
songbirds, robins are sometimes taken as prey by
hawks, and their eggs and nestlings are vulnerable to
predation by grackles, blue jays, and crows.
Strategies:
1. Provide nesting habitat. Robins are not fussy about
the species or even the size of trees and shrubs they
nest in, but they like a concealed site for their nest.
Maintaining shrubs and medium-sized trees,
preferably with a dense canopy of branches and an
associated understory, probably produces the kind of
vegetation structure that robins nest in most
successfully.
2. Limit predation. While we have no explanation for
it, in our experience robins seem to be caught less
often by hawks or falcons than their numbers would
suggest. But as common birds in residential areas,
they are vulnerable to predation by feral or outdoor
cats, as well as by skunks or raccoons. Keep your cat
indoors and avoid the features – uncovered garbage
and den sites – that can attract skunks and raccoons.
3. Provide food and water. Fruit-bearing shrubs are
attractive to robins, especially in the winter when
other food sources are scarce. American holly and
winterberry are two useful native ornamentals that
offer wintertime food for robins. Robins are also
enthusiastic bathers, so open water often attracts
them.
4. Reduce mortality from window collisions.
Comfortable around human habitation, robins are at
risk for being injured or killed by colliding with
windows. Placing decals on windows, to avoid the
appearance that the window is empty space, may help
reduce this risk. Placing netting outside windows is
an even more effective method, though it is more
complicated to do and may not appeal aesthetically to
a homeowner.
Notes: The appetite robins show for earthworms is
remarkable, and the fact that sod lawns offer good
habitat for earthworms probably accounts for some of
the robin’s enthusiasm for foraging in yards. This
bird is one of the few native species that actually
benefits from the presence of lawns. In our view,
however, foraging in lawns is neither necessary nor
natural for robins (moreover, we note that all of our
multiple earthworm species are not native to the
Vineyard). So while we think it is desirable to
encourage robins, maintaining lawn area is not how
we recommend doing this!
Robins, like most birds, have acute hearing and are
reportedly able to find and catch earthworms by
zeroing in on the sound the worms make as they
move through the soil.