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Frequently
Asked Questions about Robins: Problems Near Houses
Calvin
Rich photographed this robin, who was attacking his reflection in Calvin's
window.
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Q. How
can I keep robins from crashing into windows? color-blind, or do
they use a particular part of the spectrum? I live and work in Snowmass
Village, Colorado. At the beginning of every spring we have a problem at
my office building. The windows are tinted so well that they reflect nature
perfectly. The robins don't realize this and fly into the windows thinking
they're going for a tree limb. One weekend five robins broke their necks
because they were very persistent. I've thought of hanging wooden wind chimes
and windsocks outside the windows to help distract them. My question is:
are robins color-blind, or do they use a particular part of the spectrum?
I've also thought of throwing seeds on the lawn near a real tree so in danger
they can fly to that tree and not the one in the window. (Our town ordinance
forbids bird feeders because it attracts bears). What do you think?
A. Robins are NOT colorblind--in fact, their color vision probably
covers a wider spectrum than our human vision does. Robins fly into windows
for two reasons.
- They don't see it, and simply are trying to pass through.
- They DO see it, or at least their own reflection in it. If a male sees a male robin, or a female sees a female,
it goes ballistic and tries to chase it away.
It sounds like you probably have a fruit tree of some sort near the window, and when the robins fly off, the
ones going the wrong direction crash. If there is some way of cutting the reflection in the windows, or making
the windows more noticeable, such as hanging sun-catchers or helium balloons to them, you might solve the problem.
Bird seed won't help, because robins simply don't eat it.
Q.
Help! A robin has been crashing into my window.
Every day for over a week a robin has been crashing into my glass
patio door (or picture window, or car mirror). The window is getting smeared
with droppings and blood, and I'm scared that the robin is going to hurt
himself. What should I do?
A. Most robins that repeatedly crash into windows are territorial
males. If a male sees his reflection in the glass, he thinks could be another
male on his territory. Normally when one male robin intrudes on another's
territory, he skulks around, and flies away when the actual holder of the
territory approaches. Not so with a reflection! Every time your robin gets
close to the window, that robin image also comes closer. When your robin
assumes an aggressive stance, rather than turning tail and flying away,
the image robin assumes an equally aggressive stance, and at every level
of increasing aggression in your robin, his reflection matches it. Male
robins spend a lot of time and energy keeping intruders away during the
time the female is nest-building and incubating eggs.
The only way you can help is to get rid of the image bird yourself, by breaking
the reflection (without breaking the window!). Closing a curtain from within
seldom works, because birds can see very well, so even a faint image is
very evident to them. Taping paper or cardboard to the outside of the window
can be unsightly, and destroys the whole purpose of having a window, but
is 100% effective. Soaping the window from the outside can work, but you
really need to cover the entire thing. One thing that sometimes works is
to hang helium balloons from the window, tied to a two- or three-foot length
of string (or longer) floating at just about the level the robin is focused
on. For some reason, birds seem to fear helium balloons--I think because
nothing they ever encounter in the natural world "falls up" so
the movements seem very unpredictable. A rubber snake or plastic owl sometimes
works, but birds often figure out within a day or two that they're fake.
Once the baby robins hatch, your male will get so busy tending to their
feeding and care that he will stop worrying about that phantom image of
himself. Meanwhile, good luck!
Q.
Help! How do I get rid of robins
without hurting them or the eggs? I
have a nest of robins on my back porch light. They are very aggressive and
won't let me go in my back yard. This is becoming a problem because I have
young children who want to play on their swing set but every time we go
out there, they try to attack us. How do I get rid of them without hurting
them or the eggs?
A. There is really no way to get rid of them without hurting them
or the eggs. During this awkward time, you need to figure out how your children
and you can use the backyard without
stressing the robins, leading to their attacks. They are at their worst
just before the eggs hatch--once the babies are being fed, they USUALLY
spend so much time finding food for them and protecting them from real predators
that they don't have time to attack people.
How to deal with them right now? It has always worked for me to look them
right in the eye and walk on by. Too scary? Birds defending their nests
virtually always attack the highest part of their perceived enemy. Whenever
you walk past, hold a broom, balloon, or pole so it is well above your head.
DON'T strike the bird with it! Just hold it vertically, and if the bird
is exceptionally aggressive and does approach close enough to hit, it will
hit that instead of you or your children.
One other strategy I've heard a couple of people use successfully is to
get someone else to tie up a LEASHED cat near the nest site and leave. As
soon as the robins start making agitated sounds and dive-bombing the cat,
go in and "rescue" them by getting the cat and bringing it in.
They may well remember this kindness.
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