Bird ID Template
From Birding Wiki
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
| Subspecies: | Turdus migratorius migratorius | Eastern |
| Turdus migratorius propinquus | Western | |
| Turdus migratorius nigrideus | Black-backed |
(See David Sibley's catalog of subspecies)
The American Robin is a member of a predominantly Old World family of thrushes: Turdus. The Clay-colored Robin is the only other member of this family that is found regularly within the USA.
Contents |
Images
Not an American Robin |
Not an American Robin |
Not an American Robin |
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Not an American Robin |
Not an American Robin |
Not an American Robin |
Search Google for more images.
Description
(See ID Glossary for unfamiliar terms)
| Size | Medium, 8.5 inches |
| Habitat | Gardens, parkland, woodland. Mostly a ground feeder. |
| Status | Resident (some overwinter), migrant, summer visitor |
| Peak numbers | Late summer, early spring |
| Male breeding | Red-orange breast and belly, black head with partial white eye-ring, white-flecked throat, yellow bill and gray back and tail |
| Female breeding | As breeding male but colors more subdued, head coloration browner |
| Male nonbreeding | As breeding male but more subdued, paler |
| Female nonbreeding | As breeding female but more subdued, paler |
| Juvenile | Dumpy and short tailed, extensive dark spotting on the breast with white background and partial red wash. Gray back and darker head with white facial markings |
| Immature | Juveniles molt into adult nonbreeding plumage by late fall, but during molt a mixture of adult plumage and juvenile plumage is often evident, usually in the form of spotting on the breast. |
| Subspecies | Black-backed ssp has a very dark back and highly "saturated" colors, as its name would suggest. Otherwise the differences between Eastern and Western ssp are limited. |
| Similar to | Adults distinctive; extensive spotting on the juveniles can cause confusion with Catharus thrushes but dark head. gray back and red wash to breast usually distinctive enough. Varied Thrush, a vagrant to the area, might cause momentary confusion. |
| Song | Link to Patuxent song MP3 |
| Call | Link to Patuxent call MP3 |
Notes: descriptions apply to forms likely to be encountered in/near NYC only and are usually not full species accounts. Dimensions are taken from various sources including All About Birds, Birds of North America online, Sibley's Guide to Birds.
Local Status
- Phil Jeffrey's Central Park Birding summary by species.
- NYCBirdreport - American Robin in Central Park
- NYCBirdreport - American Robin in Prospect Park
Best Local Sites
Common to abundant in all city parks, early spring through late fall. Uncommon in winter. Widespread breeding with up to three broods - first broods fledge as early as May.
ID and Occurrence Links
- Wikipedia American Robin page
- Patuxent ID page for American Robin
- Cornell's All About Birds for American Robin
- Bird of North America online for American Robin (subscription or library access only)
- Christmas Bird Count (CBC) map from Patuxent
- Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) map from Patuxent
- Reference to page # in Sibley big and eastern
- Reference to page # in Kaufman
