How old does a robin get?
The little fellows with their red breasts are welcome guests at the bird feeder. One might think that the same robin appears there every winter. Is that possible? How old do the little birds really get?
European robins (Erithacus rubecula) are common songbirds, are widespread and, thanks to their red breast plumage, are easy to recognize as such. In the UK, they are considered the national bird. How old they get can be very different.
Robin - way of life
- The preferred habitat of a robin is characterized by dense undergrowth. They like to build their nests close to the ground Climbing plants, under roots, in tree hollows, but also in nesting boxes with an open front and even in cans that have been left lying around.
- Mating begins as early as December. Two broods per year from April to July are possible. The female lays five or six eggs. The young are fledged after just three weeks.
- To come back to the question mentioned above, can it be the same robin for two years in a row? Yes, because a few birds live to be more than a year old. At the same time, the birds stubbornly defend their territory. In this way they secure the breeding space and, above all, their source of food. Since the singing is also used to defend the territory, the friendly journeymen can also be heard in winter.
- The robins mainly serve as food be crazy, insects, small Snails and worms. It can often be seen hopping on the ground while foraging for food. In autumn and early spring, fruits and complement Berry the menu.
- Robins that breed in northern Europe often migrate to regions of central or southern Europe in winter. Nevertheless, they are not pronounced migratory birds, because depending on the region they stay in the same place all year round.
Robins - correctly assemble the food in the birdhouse
Yes - the robin and other birds need your help! Choose to ...
The birds live to be an average of one year old - often even less
- When the young hatch after about 14 days of incubation, they are initially very helpless. They are born blind and their mother warms them with their own plumage for another six days. Only after seven days do the eyes open and the young birds are fed directly.
- The little robins have many enemies. These can be martens, foxes and raccoon berries. These have increased so much in recent years that they have a significant impact on our bird populations.
- The great loss in the young birds pushes the average age of the animals to about one year. However, if the little journeymen have survived this year, they can live to be two or three years old. A 17-year-old robin was even found among the ringed animals.
- It is therefore possible that your robin will return to the bird feeder in winter. In reality, however, this is very rare. In most cases it is a different animal every winter, but no less adorable.
- In captivity, protected from predators and inhospitable weather, a robin can live for several years. Of course, this requires appropriate accommodation and care. In earlier centuries they were often locked in tight cages. Here they eke out a sad existence.
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