The next bird of West Virginia’s over 350 species is the common American robin. These birds can be found in forested or residential areas. They build their nests in parts of trees and branches where the leaves are thicker, in thickets in some areas or other places that is well-hidden by thick leaves. They also will build nests in gutters, eaves, on outdoor light fixtures, so if you live in an area with a lot of robins- you might want to keep an eye out. Here are some facts about the American robin
Identification
round body
Long legs
Medium/ long tail
Largest North American thrush
Coloring
gray-brown on the back
Lighter orange chest/belly
White patch on lower belly right below the tail feathers
Females are less contrasting and have slightly duller coloring on their head
To attract American Robins
Robins are very common on lawns, so there isn’t much you need to do to attract them. Just make sure that you’re not using chemicals on your lawn that might kill them because they commonly eat out of people’s residential yards.
If you do live in an area where they aren’t abundant, you can put either a tray of food or toss seeds, berries or bird food on the ground. You can also make sure your garden or yard is a prime breeding ground for non-pest type insects and similar. Robins commonly eat earth worms, so making sure there is space for worms to pop up helps as well.
Average Size
Length: 7.9-11.0 in
Weight: 2.7-3.0 oz
Wingspan: 12.2-15.8 in
Other Facts
They run, hop and fly when they are looking for food
Most of their diet consists of insects/worms or fruits
Males attract female mates by singing, raising and spreading their tail feathers and shaking their wings
When a male and female decide to mate, they come together and touch open beaks
Mating starts in spring
Even though we commonly see them during the beginning of spring and we associate them with the beginning of warm weather, they don’t spend much time migrating so they are usually around during winter.
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