American Robin Answers From the American Robin Expert Teaching Suggestions Special thanks to ornithologist Laura Erickson for providing her time and expertise in responding to your questions. From: West Virginia Q: Why do Robins hop? A: Most songbirds and other birds that spend a lot of time in trees are "hoppers." Springing forward in a hop is an efficient way of getting from branch to branch. But on the ground, hopping takes a little more energy than walking or running. So robins are one of the few species that can do both! Q: Do Robins have any other main food source other than worms? A: Yes. They eat MANY berries and fruits during summer and especially during fall and winter. They also eat a wide variety of spiders, insects, and other small invertebrates, and there are even a few records of them taking tiny fish from the edges of shallow ponds! Q: How long is the incubation period, and how long are baby Robins dependent on their parents? A: Robins incubate for about 12 - 14 days. The record was 7 days--this must have been during a warm spell when the eggs could stay warm even when the mother was off the nest feeding. It takes the babies about 2 weeks to leave the nest, or "fledge," and then they usually stay with their parents for two or three weeks after that. The father continues to feed them while the mother starts incubating a new brood of eggs. From: Vermont Ferrisburgh Central School Ferrisburgh Q: Why are robin's eggs blue? What makes them that color? Ryan Grade Five A: Robin eggs are blue because they belong to the thrush family--many thrushes (including bluebirds) lay blue eggs. Other birds that lay blue or greenish blue eggs are starlings, cormorants, and herons. Most birds with open nests lay eggs that have some color, which makes them harder for predators to spot than pure white eggs would be. The egg shell color comes from pigments in the mother robin's blood! Hemoglobin from ruptured blood cells is transformed into "bile pigments," which are carried by the robin's blood to where the eggshell forms near her "cloaca." From: Missouri Sappington School, LEAP program Q: The robin updates talk about large groups or flocks of robins migrating. They say most of them are males. Where are all the female robins? Don't the males and females spend the winter together or in the same areas? A: Although males and females certainly do spend the winter in the same general areas, some males remain farther north than the majority of robins, and all males become restless to leave earlier than females. So for most people living in Canadian provinces and in the central and northern states, the first robins they see in spring are males. Q: Where do robins go when they die? We hardly ever see dead birds, or robins unless there is a cat in the neighborhood. Sometimes we see dead babies if they fell out of the nest, or if they got attacked on the ground before they could fly. It just seems like there are millions of birds, but not many dead ones. A: When people have pesticides sprayed on their lawns, they sometimes DO find dead robins laying on the lawn during the next day or two. But usually when robins get sick, their slow flight and confused actions make them easy for predators to find, so the robins get eaten rather than simply keeling over dead. Robins weigh only about 2 1/2 to 3 ounces, so when one does die of a sickness, it doesn't take long for scavengers to make it disappear! From: Massachusetts Joyce Middle School Q: We learned that scientists classify organisms according to structure, behavior, food needs, and chemical make-up. Since Robins that overwinter in the Northeast have slightly different food sources and may have to behave differently than those that migrate south, do you think the overwintering birds could become a new species? Ms. Cerullo's science classes, Woburn, MA A: Probably not--at least during our lifetimes!. Robins that overwinter may still mate with birds that stayed farther south. There is so much mixing up of genes with robins, since individuals may winter in different places every year and meet new mates every spring, that it takes hundreds or thousands of years for a population of robins to simply develop a recognizable "subspecies." From: Texas Episcopal High School Q: It seems by the information posted here that the robins travel north where the temperature is colder. Do the robins enjoy the cold weather or is there another specific reason that they migrate north? A: Feathers keep birds well insulated, protecting them from all but the worst extremes of cold. They do grow far more uncomfortable in hot weather, because those feathers make it impossible for birds to sweat. The cooler temperatures in the north are comfortable, and the rain patterns make the ground nice and soft for pulling out worms. From: Wisconsin Port Washington High School Q: Currently in Wisconsin it is freezing. If the lakes are frozen what are the robins using for water? Also, if the worms are not out yet, what are they using for food? A: Birds are far more able to conserve their body water than most mammals, and so don't need as much drinking water as we do. When lakes and rivers are still frozen, they can take sips from dripping icicles or even eat snow, and by the time robins start migrating, they are also able to find some thawed puddles and running water along the edges of rivers. When they arrive if the ground is still frozen, they eat berries and old crab apples. From: Minnesota J.W.Smith Elementary Q: Why do robins molt just before they are about to migrate south? A: They molt so they will have fresh feathers for their flight. These fresh feathers will also be very good for insulating them from the winter cold. Q: Has anyone ever reported seeing a midget robin? A: No. Sometimes "midget" eggs are laid, but these are usually infertile. Adult robins seem to be just about all the same size, but under their feathers their weights can still range from 64.8 - 84.2 grams. Laura Erickson Journey North Science Writer Click here to learn more about Laura, the books she's written, and much more information "For the Birds". Facebook Pinterest Twitter © 1997 – 2025 Journey North. All rights reserved.