Editing European robin

{{EngvarB|date=August 2023}}
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
| image              = Erithacus rubecula with cocked head.jpg
| image2             = Pechuguero de Gran Canaria (Erithacus Rubecula Marionae).ogg
| image2_caption     = Call recorded in [[Gran Canaria]]
| status             = LC
| status_system      = IUCN3.1
| status_ref         = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2018 |title=''Erithacus rubecula'' |volume=2018 |page=e.T22709675A131953953 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22709675A131953953.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus              = Erithacus
| parent_authority   =
| species            = rubecula
| authority          = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| subdivision_ranks  = Subspecies
| subdivision        = 7–10, see text.
| synonyms           =
{{Species list
| Erithacus dandalus subsp. sardus | Kleinschmidt,&nbsp;1906
| Erithacus rubecula subsp. armoricanus | Lebeurier & Rapine,&nbsp;1936
| Erithacus rubecula subsp. sardus | Kleinschmidt,&nbsp;1906
| Motacilla rubecula | Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758
}}
| synonyms_ref       = <ref>{{GBIF |id=2492462 |taxon=''Erithacus rubecula'' |accessdate=21 January 2022}}</ref>
| range_map          = ErithacusRubeculaIUCN.svg
| range_map_caption  = Range of ''E rubecula''{{leftlegend|#00FF00|Breeding|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#008000|Resident|outline=gray}}  {{leftlegend|#007FFF|Non-breeding|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#FF80FF|Possible extinct & Introduced|outline=gray}}
}}

The '''European robin''' ('''''Erithacus rubecula'''''), known simply as the '''robin''' or '''robin redbreast''' in the British Isles, is a small [[insectivorous]] [[passerine]] [[bird]] that belongs to the [[Old World flycatcher]] family Muscicapidae.<ref name=ioc/> It is found across Europe, east to Western [[Siberia]] and south to North Africa; it is [[Sedentism|sedentary]] in the west and south of its range, and [[bird migration|migratory]] in the north and east of its range where winters are harsher.

It is {{convert|12.5|–|14.0|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length; the male and female are identical in plumage, with an orange-toned red breast and face lined with grey, brown upper-parts and a whitish belly. Juveniles are distinct, freckled brown all over and without the red breast; first-winter immatures are like the adults, except for more obvious yellow-brown tips to the wing covert feathers (inconspicuous or absent in adults).
[[File:European robin (Erithacus rubecula) juvenile.jpg|thumb|left|Juvenile, [[Sussex]]]]

== Etymology ==
The distinctive orange breast of both sexes contributed to the European robin's original name of "redbreast", ''orange'' as a colour name being unknown in English until the 16th century, by which time the fruit of the same name had been introduced. The Dutch {{lang|nl|roodborstje}}, French {{lang|fr|rouge-gorge}}, Swedish ''rödhake'', German {{lang|de|Rotkehlchen}}, Italian {{lang|it|pettirosso}}, Spanish {{lang|es|petirrojo}} and Portuguese {{lang|pt|pisco-de-peito-ruivo}} all refer to the distinctively coloured front.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Holland, J.|title=Bird Spotting|publisher=Blandford|year=1965|location=London, UK|page=225}}</ref>

In the 15th century, when it became popular to give human names to familiar species, the bird came to be known as ''robin redbreast'', which was eventually shortened to ''robin''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lack|first=D.|title=Robin Redbreast|publisher=Oxford, Clarendon Press|year=1950|location=Oxford|page=44}}</ref> As a [[given name]], Robin is originally a [[diminutive|smaller form]] of the name [[Robert]]. The term ''robin'' is also applied to some birds in other families with red or orange breasts. These include the [[American robin]] (''Turdus migratorius'', a [[Thrush (bird)|thrush]]) and the [[Australasia]]n robins of the family [[Petroicidae]], the relationships of which are unclear.

Other older English names for the bird include ''ruddock'' and ''robinet''. In American literature of the late 19th century, this robin was frequently called the ''English robin''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sylvester|first=Charles H.|title=Journeys Through Bookland|publisher=BiblioBazaar, LLC|year=2006|isbn=978-1-4264-2117-4|page=155}}</ref>

== Taxonomy and systematics ==
The European robin was described by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1758 in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th edition]] of his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' under the [[Binomial nomenclature|binomial name]] ''Motacilla rubecula''.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Linnaeus| first=Carolus | author-link=Carl Linnaeus|title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata.|publisher=Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii) | year=1758 | volume=1 |page=188 | language=la | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727097 | quote=M. grisea, gula pectoreque fulvis.}}</ref> Its [[Specific epithet (zoology)|specific epithet]] ''rubecula'' is a diminutive derived from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|ruber}}, meaning 'red'.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Simpson|first=D.P.|title=Cassell's Latin Dictionary|publisher=Cassell Ltd.|year=1979|edition=5th|location=London, UK|page=883|isbn=978-0-304-52257-6}}</ref><ref>{{L&S|ruber|ref}}</ref> The genus ''[[Erithacus]]'' was described by French naturalist [[Georges Cuvier]] in 1800, giving the bird its current binomial name ''E. rubecula''.<ref>{{ cite book | last1=Mayr | first1=Ernst | last2=Paynter | first2=Raymond A. Jr. | year=1964 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 10 | volume=10 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=32 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14486221 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | last=Cuvier | first=George | author-link=Georges Cuvier | year=1800 | title=Leçons d'anatomie comparée. Volume 1 | publisher=L'Institute National des Sciences et des Arts | at=Table 2 | url=http://docnum.u-strasbg.fr/cdm/ref/collection/coll13/id/175485 | language=fr }} (The year is given on the title page as "VIII" in the [[French Republican Calendar]])</ref> The [[genus]] name ''Erithacus'' is from [[Ancient Greek]]<ref>{{LSJ|e)ri/qakos|ἐρίθακος|ref}}.</ref> and refers to an unknown bird, now usually identified as robin.<ref>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A. | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher=Christopher Helm | location = London, United Kingdom | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=149}}</ref>

The genus ''Erithacus'' was formerly classified as a member of the [[Thrush (bird)|thrush]] family (Turdidae) but is now known to belong to the [[Old World flycatcher]] family [[Muscicapidae]]. The genus formerly included the [[Japanese robin]] and the [[Ryukyu robin]], but these east Asian species were shown in [[molecular phylogenetic]] studies to be more similar to a group of other Asian species than to the European robin;<ref>{{cite journal | last =Seki | first =Shin-Ichi| year =2006| title=The origin of the East Asian ''Erithacus'' robin, ''Erithacus komadori'', inferred from cytochrome ''b'' sequence data | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution| volume =39 | issue =3 | pages =899–905 | doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2006.01.028 | pmid =16529957}}</ref><ref name="sangster2010">{{cite journal | last1=Sangster | first1=G. | last2=Alström | first2=P. | last3=Forsmark | first3=E. | last4=Olsson | first4=U. | year=2010 | title=Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae) | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=57 | issue=1 | pages=380–392 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.008 | pmid=20656044}}</ref> in a reorganisation of the genera, the Japanese and the Ryukyu robins were moved to the resurrected genus ''[[Larvivora]]'' leaving the European robin as the sole member of ''Erithacus''.<ref name="ioc">{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | year=2016 | title=Chats, Old World flycatchers | work=World Bird List Version 6.2 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/chats/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union| access-date=20 May 2016 }}</ref> A 2010 phylogenetic analysis placed ''Erithacus'' in a subfamily (Cossyphinae Vigors, 1825, syn. Erithacinae G. R. Gray, 1846) which otherwise contained only African species, but its exact position with respect to the other species in that subfamily was not resolved.<ref name="sangster2010" /> More detailed analysis in 2023 confirmed it to be the sole European member of this tropical African subfamily, in which it is in a basal position.<ref name="Zhao2023">{{cite journal | last=Zhao | first=Min | last2=Gordon Burleigh | first2=J. | last3=Olsson | first3=Urban | last4=Alström | first4=Per | last5=Kimball | first5=Rebecca T. | title=A near-complete and time-calibrated phylogeny of the Old World flycatchers, robins and chats (Aves, Muscicapidae) | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=178 | date=2023 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107646 | doi-access=free | page=107646}}</ref>

=== Subspecies ===
In their large continental Eurasian range, robins vary somewhat, but do not form discrete populations that might be considered [[subspecies]].<ref name=Dietzen>{{cite journal|last1=Dietzen|first1=Christian|last2=Witt|first2=Hans-Hinrich|last3=Wink|first3=Michael|year=2003|title=The phylogeographic differentiation of the robin ''Erithacus rubecula'' on the Canary Islands revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequence data and morphometrics: evidence for a new robin taxon on Gran Canaria?|url=http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/2003/3.2003.pdf|journal=Avian Science|volume=3|issue=2–3|pages=115–131}}</ref><ref name=Patzold95>{{Cite book|title=Das Rotkehlchen ''Erithacus rubecula''. Neue Brehm-Bücherei|author=Pätzold, R.|year=1995|publisher=Westarp Wissenschaften/Spektrum|location=Magdeburg/Heidelberg|isbn=978-3-89432-423-0|language=de}}</ref> Robin subspecies are mainly distinguished by forming resident populations on islands and in mountainous areas. The robin found in the British Isles and much of western Europe, ''Erithacus rubecula melophilus'', occurs as a vagrant in adjacent regions. ''E. r. witherbyi'' from northwest Africa, Corsica, and Sardinia closely resembles ''E. r. melophilus'' but has shorter wings.<ref name=Lack46>{{Cite journal|author=Lack, D.|year=1946|title=The Taxonomy of the Robin, ''Erithacus rubecula'' (Linnaeus)|journal=Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club|volume=66|pages=55–64}}</ref> The northeasternmost birds, large and fairly washed-out in colour, are ''E. r. tataricus''. In the southeast of its range, ''E. r. valens'' of the [[Crimean Peninsula]], ''E. r. caucasicus'' of the Caucasus and northern [[Transcaucasia]], and ''E. r. hyrcanus'' southeastwards into Iran are generally accepted as significantly distinct.<ref name=Lack46 />

On [[Madeira]] and the [[Azores]], the local population has been described as ''E. r. microrhynchos'', and although not distinct in [[morphology (biology)|morphology]], its isolation seems to suggest the subspecies is valid (but see below).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/how-robins-became-the-birds-of-christmas/|title=How Robins Became the Birds of Christmas|first=Darren|last=Naish|website=Scientific American Blog Network}}</ref>

==== Canary Islands robins ====
[[File:Erithacus rubecula superbus, Los Silos, Tenerife 1.jpg|left|thumb|Tenerife robin ''Erithacus rubecula superbus'', Los Silos, Tenerife]]
[[File:Erithacus rubecula -Canary Islands, Spain -adult and juvenile-8.jpg|thumb|Adult and juvenile Gran Canaria robins]]

The most distinct birds are those of [[Gran Canaria]]  (''E. r. marionae'') and [[Tenerife]] (''E. r. superbus''), which may be considered two distinct species or at least two different subspecies. They are readily distinguished by a white eye-ring, an intensely coloured breast, a grey line that separates the orange-red from the brown colouration, and the belly is entirely white.<ref>{{Cite book |editor=Cramp, S. |year=1988 |title=Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. |volume=V. Tyrant Flycatchers to Thrushes |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-19-857508-5}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>

Cytochrome ''b'' sequence data and vocalisations<ref name=Bergmann>{{cite journal |last1=Bergmann |first1=H.H. |last2=Schottler |first2=B. |year=2001 |title=Tenerife robin ''Erithacus (rubecula) superbus'' – a species of its own? |journal=[[Dutch Birding]] |volume=23 |pages=140–146}}</ref> indicate that the Gran Canaria/Tenerife robins are indeed very distinct and probably derived from colonisation by mainland birds some 2&nbsp;million years ago.{{efn|
Although Dietzen ''et al.'' (2003)<ref name=Dietzen/> conclude that both the Tenerife and Gran Canaria populations are independently derived from mainland populations and should constitute two species or both be placed in ''E. rubecula'' as subspecies, their data does not allow for a definite conclusion. The alternative explanation – that Tenerife was colonised by already-distinct Gran Canaria robins – has not been explored and the proposed model relies only on probabilistic inference. Likewise, the seemingly exact molecular dating is doubtful as it assumes a [[molecular clock]] that may or may not be correct, and of course the assumption that the ancestor of all robins was similar in colouration to ''superbus'' and not the continental birds is, being inferred from their model of colonisation, entirely conjectural.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}
}}

Christian Dietzen, Hans-Hinrich Witt and Michael Wink published in 2003 in ''Avian Science'' a study called "The phylogeographic differentiation of the European robin ''Erithacus rubecula'' on the Canary Islands revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequence data and morphometrics: evidence for a new robin taxon on Gran Canaria?".<ref name=Dietzen/> In it they concluded that Gran Canaria's robin diverged genetically from their European relatives as far back as 2.3&nbsp;million years, while the Tenerife ones took another half a million years to make this leap, 1.8&nbsp;million years ago. The most likely reason would be a different colonisation of the Canaries by this bird, which arrived at the oldest island first (Gran Canaria) and subsequently passed to the neighbouring island (Tenerife).<ref name="canarias7.es">{{cite news |first1=César-Javier |last1=Palacios |year=2006 |title=Hallazgo en Gran Canaria de una especie de petirrojo única en el mundo |lang=es |trans-title=Discovery in Gran Canaria of a species of robin unique in the world |newspaper=Newspaper Canarias 7 |url=http://www.canarias7.es/articulo.cfm?Id=36465 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307001055/http://www.canarias7.es/articulo.cfm?Id=36465 |archive-date=7 March 2016 |access-date=24 February 2015}}</ref>

A thorough comparison between ''E. r. marionae'' and ''E. r. superbus'' is pending to confirm that the first one is effectively a different subspecies. Initial results suggest that birds from Gran Canaria have wings about 10% shorter than those on Tenerife.<ref name=Dietzen/> The west Canary Islands' populations are younger ([[Middle Pleistocene]]) and only beginning to diverge genetically. Robins from the western [[Canary Islands]] on El Hierro, La Palma and La Gomera (''E. r. microrhynchus'') are more similar to the European type subspecies (''E. r. rubecula'').<ref name=Lack46/>

Finally, the robins which can be found on [[Fuerteventura]] are the European subspecies, which is not surprising as the species does not breed either in this island or on nearby [[Lanzarote]]; they are wintering birds or just on passage during their migration between Africa and Europe.<ref name="canarias7.es"/>

=== Other robins ===
The larger [[American robin]] (''Turdus migratorius'') is a much larger bird named from its similar colouration to the European robin, but the two birds are not closely related, with the American robin instead belonging to the [[Turdus|same genus]] as the [[common blackbird]] (''T.&nbsp;merula''), a species which occupies much of the same range as the European robin. The similarity between the European and American robins lies largely in the orange chest patch found in both species. This American species was incorrectly shown "feathering its nest" in London in the film ''[[Mary Poppins (film)|Mary Poppins]]'',<ref name=imdb>{{cite web |title=''Mary Poppins'' (1964) - Goofs |website=[[IMDb]] |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058331/goofs |access-date=21 January 2008}}</ref> but it only occurs in the UK as a very rare vagrant.<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Roberts |title=Village braced for invasion of twitchers as rare visitor flies in |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Post]] |url=http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1997214 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508082115/http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55 |archive-date=8 May 2006 |access-date=24 February 2015}}</ref>

Some South and Central American ''Turdus'' thrushes are also called robins, such as the [[rufous-collared thrush]]. The Australian "robin redbreast", more correctly the [[scarlet robin]] (''Petroica multicolor''), is more closely related to crows and jays than it is to the European robin. It belongs to the family [[Petroicidae]], whose members are commonly called "Australasian robins". The [[red-billed leiothrix]] (''Leiothrix lutea'') is sometimes named the "Pekin robin" by [[Aviculture|aviculturalists]]. Another group of Old World flycatchers, this time from Africa and Asia, is the genus ''Copsychus''; its members are known as [[magpie-robin]]s, one of which, the [[Oriental magpie robin]] (''C.&nbsp;saularis''), is the national bird of Bangladesh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National icons of Bangladesh |website=Bangla 2000 |url=http://www.bangla2000.com/Bangladesh/national_icons.shtm |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref>

== Description ==
The adult European robin is {{cvt|12.5|–|14.0|cm|in}} long and weighs {{cvt|16|–|22|g|oz}}, with a wingspan of {{cvt|20|–|22|cm|in|round=0.5}}. The male and female bear similar plumage: an orange breast and face (more strongly coloured in the otherwise similar British subspecies ''E. r. melophilus''), lined by a bluish grey on the sides of the neck and chest. The upperparts are brownish, or olive-tinged in British birds, and the belly whitish, while the legs and feet are brown. The bill and eyes are black. Juveniles are a spotted brown and white in colouration, with patches of orange gradually appearing.<ref name=RSPB>{{Cite book|last=Hume |first=R. |title=RSPB Birds of Britain and Europe |year=2002 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |pages=[https://archive.org/details/rspbbirdsofbrita0000hume/page/263 263] |location=London |isbn=978-0-7513-1234-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/rspbbirdsofbrita0000hume/page/263}}</ref>

== Distribution and habitat ==
The robin occurs in Eurasia east to Western Siberia, south to Algeria and on the Atlantic islands as far west as the [[Central Group, Azores|Central Group]] of the Azores and Madeira. It is a vagrant in Iceland. In the southeast, it reaches Iran the [[Caucasus]] range.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> Irish and British robins are largely resident but a small minority, usually female, migrate to southern Europe during winter, a few as far as Spain. Scandinavian and Russian robins migrate to Britain and western Europe to escape the harsher winters. These migrants can be recognised by the greyer tone of the upper parts of their bodies and duller orange breast. The continental European robins that migrate during winter prefer spruce woods in northern Europe, contrasting with its preference for parks and gardens in Great Britain.<ref name=Jon78>{{Cite book|title=Birds of Wood, Park and Garden |last=Jonsson |first=Lars|year=1976|publisher=Penguin |location=Middlesex, England |isbn=978-0-14-063002-2 |pages=90}}</ref>

In southern Iberia, habitat segregation of resident and migrant robins occurs, with resident robins remaining in the same woodlands where they bred.<ref>{{cite journal |author1= De La Hera, I. |author2= Fandos, G. | author3= Fernández‐López, J. | author4= Onrubia, A. | author5= Pérez‐Rodríguez, A. |author6= Pérez‐Tris, J. | author7= Tellería, J. L. |year=2018| title= Habitat segregation by breeding origin in the declining populations of European Robins wintering in southern Iberia | journal=Ibis| volume=160| pages=355–364| doi=10.1111/ibi.12549| issue=2| hdl= 10468/7018 | hdl-access= free }}</ref>

Attempts to introduce the European robin into Australia and New Zealand in the latter part of the 19th century were unsuccessful. Birds were released around Melbourne, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and [[Dunedin]] by various local [[Acclimatisation society|acclimatisation societies]], with none becoming established. There was a similar outcome in North America, as birds failed to become established after being released in [[Long Island]], New York in 1852, Oregon in 1889–1892, and the [[Saanich Peninsula]] in British Columbia in 1908–1910.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Introduced Birds of the World: The worldwide history, distribution and influence of birds introduced to new environments|last=Long|first=John L.|year=1981|publisher=Reed|location=Terrey Hills, Sydney|isbn=978-0-589-50260-7|pages=309}}</ref>
[[File:Rouge-gorge à une mangeoire.jpg|thumb|Robin eating seeds in France]]

== Behaviour and ecology ==
[[File:European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) with mealworm.jpeg|thumb|Robin with prey]]
[[File:European Robin Erithacus rubecula.ogv|thumb|right|European robin feeding on snowy ground]]
[[File:04-European Robin-nX-1.webm|right|thumb|European robin feeding.]]

The robin is [[Diurnality|diurnal]], although it has been reported to be active hunting insects on moonlit nights or near artificial light at night.<ref name=Patzold95 /> Well known to British and Irish gardeners, it is relatively unafraid of people and drawn to human activities involving the digging of soil, in order to look out for [[earthworm]]s and other food freshly turned up. The British and Irish considered robins to be a gardener's friend and would never harm them, due also to the traditional association of the red colouring of their breasts with the [[blood of Christ]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Robin-Fact and Folklore|url=https://www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/news/robin-fact-and-folklore-eva-phillips-comms-officer#:~:text=Originally%2C%20robin%20redbreast%20was%20simply,of%20Robin%20Redbreast%20and%20Jenny|access-date=15 September 2022|website=Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust}}</ref> In continental Europe, on the other hand, robins were hunted and killed as were most other small birds, and are therefore more wary.<ref name=RSPB /> Robins also approach large wild animals, such as wild boar, which disturb the ground, to look for any food that might be brought to the surface.

In autumn and winter, robins will supplement their usual diet of terrestrial invertebrates, such as spiders, worms and insects, with berries, fruit and seeds.<ref name=Jon78 /><ref name="Collar, N">{{cite web |last=Collar |first=N. |editor-last1=J. del Hoyo |editor-last2=A. Elliott |editor-last3=J. Sargatal |editor-last4=D. A. Christie |editor-last5=E. de Juana |name-list-style=and |url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/eurrob1/1.0/introduction |title=European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) |website=[[Birds of the World]] |url-access=subscription |date=2020-03-04 |doi=10.2173/bow.eurrob1.01}}</ref> They will also eat seed mixtures and suet placed on bird-tables, as well as left-overs.<ref name=RSPB /><ref>{{cite web |last=Hoskins |first=Rachel |title=What do Robins Eat? And What to Feed them |url=https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/12/what-do-robins-eat/ |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=[[Woodland Trust]]}}</ref><ref name="Collar, N" /> The robin is even known to feed on small vertebrates (including fish and lizards) and carrion.<ref name="Collar, N" />

Male robins are very territorial and will fiercely attack other males and competitors that stray into their territories. They have been observed attacking other small birds without apparent provocation. There are recorded instances of robins attacking their own reflection.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=RHS|date=December 2018|title=December wildlife: Robins have a new family|journal=The Garden RHS|volume=143|issue=12|pages=29}}</ref> Territorial disputes sometimes lead to fatalities, accounting for up to 10% of adult robin deaths in some areas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/robin/territory.asp|title=The RSPB-Robin:Territory|access-date=1 July 2019|work=RSPB website|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211111532/http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/robin/territory.asp |archive-date=11 December 2008}}</ref>

Because of high mortality in the first year of life, a robin has an average life expectancy of 1.1&nbsp;years; however, once past its first year, life expectancy increases. One robin has been recorded as reaching 19&nbsp;years of age.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.euring.org/data_and_codes/longevity-voous.htm|title=Euring: European Longevity Records|access-date=1 June 2015|publisher=euring.org}}</ref> A spell of very low temperatures in winter can, however, result in higher mortality rates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/robin/threats.asp|title=The RSPB-Robin:Threats|access-date=17 May 2008|work=RSPB website}}</ref> The species is parasitised by the [[moorhen flea]] (''Dasypsyllus gallinulae'')<ref name=Rothschild>{{cite book|title=Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos. A study of bird parasites|author=Rothschild, Miriam|author-link=Miriam Rothschild|author2=Clay, Theresa|year=1957|publisher=Macmillan|location=New York|page=113|url=https://archive.org/details/fleasflukescucko00roth}}</ref> and the [[acanthocephala]]n ''[[Apororhynchus silesiacus]]''.<ref name="Dimitrova">{{cite journal |last1=Dimitrova |first1=Z. M. |last2=Murai |first2=Éva |last3=Georgiev |first3=Boyko B. |s2cid=82191853 |date=1995 |title=The first record in Hungary of ''Apororhynchus silesiacus'' Okulewicz and Maruszewski, 1980 (Acanthocephala), with new data on its morphology |journal=Parasitologia Hungarica |volume=28 |pages=83–88}}</ref>

=== Breeding ===
Robins may choose a wide variety of sites for building a nest. In fact, anything which can offer some shelter, like a depression or hole, may be considered. As well as the usual crevices, or sheltered banks, other objects include pieces of machinery, barbecues, bicycle handlebars, bristles on upturned brooms, discarded kettles, watering cans, flower pots and hats. Robins will also nest in manmade [[nest box]]es, favouring a design with an open front placed in a sheltered position up to {{convert|2|m}} from the ground.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/bto-nest-boxes-essential-guide.pdf|title=NEST BOXES : YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE|pages=12–13|website=Bto.org|access-date=19 March 2022}}</ref> Nests are generally composed of moss, leaves and grass, with fine grass, hair and feathers for lining.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Hannah |url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/robin-erithacus-rubecula.html |title=Robin (Erithacus rubecula) |website=[[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] |orig-date=Original date 20 December 2019 |date=2024-03-21}}</ref>

Two or three clutches of five or six eggs are laid throughout the breeding season, which commences in March in Britain and Ireland. The eggs are a cream, buff or white speckled or blotched with reddish-brown colour, often more heavily so at the larger end.<ref name=Observerbirdseggs>{{Cite book|title=The Observer's Book of Birds' Eggs|author=Evans, G.|pages=85|year=1972|publisher=Warne|location=London, UK|isbn=978-0-7232-0060-4}}</ref> When juvenile birds fly from the nests, their colouration is entirely mottled brown. After two to three months out of the nest, the juvenile bird grows some orange feathers under its chin, and over a similar period this patch gradually extends to complete the adult appearance of an entirely red-orange breast.<ref name="auto"/>

{{multiple image
| footer    =
| align     = center
| image1    =  Robin eggs.jpg
| width1    = {{#expr: (160 * 633/600) round 0}}
| caption1  = Nest with five eggs
| image2    = RobinEgg-edit.jpg
| width2    = {{#expr: (160 * 2488/2054) round 0}}
| caption2  = A single egg
| image3    = Vogelnest Bodenbrüter.jpg
| width3    = {{#expr: (228 * 633/600) round 0}}
| caption3  = [[Bird nest]] of a ground-breeding robin
}}

=== Vocalisation ===
{{listen|filename=Erithacus rubecula.ogg|title=European robin|description=European robin song}}

The robin produces a fluting, warbling {{audio|120401-132827 Erithacus rubecula.ogg|song}} during the breeding season. Both the male and female sing throughout the year, including during the winter, when they hold separate territories. During the winter, the robin's song is more plaintive than the summer version.<ref name=RSPB /> The female robin moves a short distance from the summer nesting territory to a nearby area that is more suitable for winter feeding. The male robin keeps the same territory throughout the year. During the breeding season, male robins usually initiate their morning song an hour before civil sunrise, and usually terminate their daily singing around thirty minutes after sunset.<ref name="Behavioral Ecology">{{Cite journal|author=Da Silva|author2=Samplonius|author3=Schlicht, Valcu|author4= Gaston|year=2014|title=Artificial night lighting rather than traffic noise affects the daily timing of dawn and dusk singing in common European songbirds|journal=Behavioral Ecology|volume=25|pages=1037–1047|doi=10.1093/beheco/aru103|issue=5|doi-access=free}}</ref> Nocturnal singing can also occur, especially in urban areas that are artificially lit during the night.<ref name="Behavioral Ecology" /> Some urban robins opt to sing at night to avoid daytime anthropogenic noise.<ref>{{Cite journal|vauthors=Fuller RA, Warren PH, Gaston KJ |year=2007|title=Daytime noise predicts nocturnal singing in urban robins|journal=Biology Letters|volume=3|pages=368–70|doi=10.1098/rsbl.2007.0134|pmid=17456449|issue=4|pmc=2390663}}</ref>

=== Magnetoreception ===
[[File:Effect of RF interference on Magnetoreception in Birds.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Very weak [[Electromagnetic interference|radio-frequency interference]] prevents migratory robins from orienting correctly to the [[Earth's magnetic field]]. Since this would not interfere with an iron compass, the experiments imply that the birds use a radical-pair mechanism.<ref name="Hore Mouritsen 2022"/>]]

The avian magnetic compass of the robin has been extensively researched and uses vision-based [[magnetoreception]], in which the robin's ability to sense the magnetic field of the Earth for navigation is affected by the light entering the bird's eye. The physical mechanism of the robin's magnetic sense involves [[quantum entanglement]] of electron spins in [[cryptochrome]] in the bird's eyes.<ref name=Hore2016>{{Cite journal |last1=Hore |first1=Peter J. |author1-link=Peter Hore (chemist) |last2=Mouritsen |first2=Henrik |date=5 July 2016 |title=The Radical-Pair Mechanism of Magnetoreception |journal=Annual Review of Biophysics |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=299–344 |doi=10.1146/annurev-biophys-032116-094545 |pmid=27216936 |s2cid=7099782 |url=https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:c1e3c8ca-98b3-4e9d-8efd-0b9ad9b965eb |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Hore Mouritsen 2022">
{{cite journal
 | last1 = Hore | first1 = Peter J
 | last2 = Mouritsen | first2 = Henrik
 | author1-link = Peter Hore (chemist)
 | title = The quantum nature of bird migration
 | date = April 2022
 | journal = [[Scientific American]]
 | volume = 326
 | issue = 4
 | pages = 26–31
 | doi = 10.1038/scientificamerican0422-26
 | issn = 0036-8733
 | url = https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-migrating-birds-use-quantum-effects-to-navigate/
 | access-date = 29 January 2023
| url-access = subscription
 }} Web version published under title "How migrating birds use quantum effects to navigate".
</ref>

== Conservation status ==
The European robin has an extensive range and a population numbering in the hundreds of millions. The species does not approach the [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] thresholds under the population trend criterion (>30 per cent decline over ten years or three generations); the population appears to be increasing. The [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] evaluates it as [[least concern]].<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021"/>

== Cultural depictions ==
The robin features prominently in British folklore and that of northwestern France, but much less so in other parts of Europe,<ref name=ingersoll167>
{{cite book
 |last=Ingersoll |first=Ernest
 |year=1923
 |chapter=Fire-birds: The robin and the wren
 |title=Birds in Legend, Fable and Folklore
 |location=New York, NY
 |publisher=Longmans, Green, & Co.
 |page=167
 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/birdsinlegendfab00inge
 |access-date=8 August 2009
}}
</ref>
though in the nineteenth century [[Jacob Grimm]] reported a tradition from German-speaking Europe that if someone disturbed a robin's nest their house would be struck by lightning.<ref>{{cite book|last=Grimm|others=Stallybrass (tr.)|title=Teutonic mythology|publisher=George Bell & Sons|year=1883|volume=2|url=https://archive.org/details/teutonicmytholog02grim}}</ref>{{rp|682-83}} Robins feature in the traditional children's tale ''[[Babes in the Wood]]''; the birds cover the dead bodies of the children.<ref name=deVries76/>

The robin has become strongly associated with Christmas, taking a starring role on many [[Christmas card]]s since the mid-19th century.<ref name=deVries76>
{{cite book
 |last=de&nbsp;Vries |first=Ad
 |year=1976
 |title=Dictionary of Symbols and Imagery
 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofsymb0000vrie/page/388 388]–389
 |publisher=North-Holland Publishing Company
 |location=Amsterdam, NL
 |isbn=978-0-7204-8021-4
 |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofsymb0000vrie/page/388
}}
</ref>
The robin has appeared on many [[Christmas stamp|Christmas postage stamps]]. An old British [[Folklore|folk tale]] seeks to explain the robin's distinctive breast. Legend has it that when Jesus was dying on the cross, the robin, then simply brown in colour, flew to his side and sang into his ear in order to comfort him in his pain. The blood from his wounds stained the robin's breast, and thereafter all robins carry the mark of Christ's blood upon them.<ref name=Cooper92>
{{cite book
 |last=Cooper |first=J.C.
 |year=1992
 |title=Symbolic and Mythological Animals
 |page=194
 |publisher=Aquarian Press
 |location=London, UK
 |isbn=978-1-85538-118-6
}}
</ref>{{efn|
In Christian folklore the robin got its red breast because it plucked a thorn from Jesus' crown-of-thorns during His crucifixion. A drop of Jesus' blood fell on to the bird and thereafter they had a red breast – for Christians the robin has long been associated with charity and piety.<ref>{{cite web |last=Goodall |first=Simon |title=European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') |website=Greater Manchester Local Record Centre |url-status=dead |url=http://www.gmwildlife.org.uk/wildlife/species/index.php?species=European%20Robin |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307095635/https://www.gmwildlife.org.uk/wildlife/species/index.php?species=European%20Robin |archive-date=7 March 2016 }}</ref>
}}

An alternative legend has it that its breast was scorched fetching water for souls in Purgatory.<ref name=deVries76/> The association with Christmas more probably arises from the fact that postmen in [[Queen Victoria|Victorian]] Britain wore red jackets and were nicknamed "Robins"; the robin featured on the Christmas card is an emblem of the postman delivering the card.<ref>
{{cite web |title=Robin |website=[[BBC]] |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/reallywild/amazing/robin.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021229131702/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/reallywild/amazing/robin.shtml |archive-date=29 December 2002}}</ref>

In the 1960s, in a vote publicised by ''[[The Times]]'', the robin was adopted as the unofficial national bird of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |title=European robin |website=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/European_Robin |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101027141358/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/European_Robin |archive-date=2010-10-27 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2015, the robin was again voted Britain's national bird in a poll organised by birdwatcher David Lindo, taking 34% of the final vote.<ref>
{{cite news
 |title=Robin wins vote for UK's national bird
 |date=10 June 2015
 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]
 |location=London, UK
 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/10/robin-wins-vote-uk-national-bird-britain
 |access-date=13 June 2016
}}
</ref>

Several English and Welsh sports organisations are nicknamed "the Robins". The nickname is typically used for teams whose home colours predominantly use red. These include the professional football clubs [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Robin sees City soar into new era |website=[[Bristol City F.C.]] |url=https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/robin-sees-city-soar-into-new-era/ |access-date=2025-03-22}}</ref> [[Crewe Alexandra]], [[Swindon Town]], [[Cheltenham Town]] and, traditionally, [[Wrexham A.F.C.]], as well as the English rugby league team the [[Hull Kingston Rovers]] (whose home colours are white with a red band).<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=History
 |website=Hull Kingston Rovers
 |type=official website
 |publisher=[[Hull Kingston Rovers RLFC]]
 |url=http://hullkr.co.uk/history
 |access-date=22 February 2012 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127212257/http://hullkr.co.uk/history
 |archive-date=27 January 2012
}}
</ref> As of 2019, Bristol City, Swindon Town and Cheltenham Town also incorporate a robin image in their current badge designs.{{cn|date=March 2024}} A small bird is an unusual choice, although it is thought to symbolise agility in darting around the field.<ref>
{{cite book
 |last=Morris |first=Desmond |author-link=Desmond Morris
 |year=1981
 |title=The Soccer Tribe
 |publisher=Jonathan Cape
 |location=London, UK
 |isbn=978-0-224-01935-4
 |page=[https://archive.org/details/soccertribe0000morr/page/210 210]
 |url=https://archive.org/details/soccertribe0000morr/page/210
}}
</ref>
{{clear}}
== Footnotes ==
{{notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{reflist|25em}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book|first=Andrew|last=Lack|year=2008|title=Redbreast: The Robin in Life and Literature|publisher=SMH Books|isbn=978-0-9553827-2-7}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikispecies|Erithacus rubecula}}
{{Wikiquote|Robins}}
{{Wiktionary|robin}}
* {{field guide birds of the world|Erithacus rubecula}}
* [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/european-robin-erithacus-rubecula European Robin videos, photos & sounds] on Internet Bird Collection
* [http://association.sonatura.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=255&Itemid=41 Sonatura: Song of the European Robin] ({{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827063653/http://association.sonatura.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=255&Itemid=41 |date=27 August 2011 }})
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161108173715/http://aulaenred.ibercaja.es/wp-content/uploads/327_RobinErubecula.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF; 2.9&nbsp;MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkFcjv7HAJU Robins in slow motion #2 - UHD 4K] video published by wildlife cinematographer Steve Downer via [[YouTube]]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q25334}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Erithacus]]
[[Category:Robins]]
[[Category:Birds of Europe]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1758|European robin]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]