What's Happening Here?
The bird on the right
is a female. You can tell by her overall browner back and
sides, and her head is about the same color
as her back. Do you notice that the male is more blackish gray on his back and sides, and his head is much blacker
than his back?
In this case, the female is more aggressive. She shows her
aggressiveness in at least three ways:
-
Her beak is wide open;
-
She's raised her back feathers a little; and,
-
She's lowered her body, ready to spring into action if he doesn't back away.
Even during the time of year that robins least need to defend territory, a little territoriality is still an important part of a robin's nature. After all, it's essential for robins to defend a large area where they plan to nest in spring. She's just keeping in practice.
Photo: Christine Haines