Squabbling for Territory
Robins, when in a flock, cannot be too territorial or they'll start to fight. No single robin has the power to chase away all those other robins who are there to find food and water. Hormones and restlessness increase as days get longer. Many robin fights take place as winter flocks break up before spring nesting season, or when robins arrive someplace and want to establish a territory. The first robins to return and set up territory boundaries are often the ones that had that territory last summer. If the territory had good resources (like a birdbath, lawn, gardens, shrubs) the "home" birds—both male and female—may spend a lot of valuable time and energy chasing off other robins that migrate through.
|