The European robin is a small songbird found across Europe, western Asia and parts of North Africa, one of the most familiar and beloved garden birds in Britain and much of the continent, recognized by its orange-red breast and face bordered by a bluish-grey band, set against olive-brown upperparts. It is a highly territorial bird that will aggressively defend its feeding ground year-round against rivals, including its own reflection, and it feeds mainly on insects, worms and other invertebrates, along with fruit and seeds in colder months, often following gardeners to snatch up disturbed soil invertebrates. European robins are among the earliest and latest singers of the day and, unusually for a songbird, both sexes sing to defend territory outside the breeding season. Long associated with winter and Christmas imagery in Britain, the robin was voted the country's unofficial national bird in a 2015 poll.
Facts
Classification
Living or ExtinctDerived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill). Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceA small songbird about 12.5 to 14 cm long, with an orange breast and face bordered by grey, brown upperparts, a whitish belly, brown legs and feet, and a black bill; the sexes look alike. 1 Scientific Name Conservation Status Partially Attested
Population EstimateSource gives only an order of magnitude (hundreds of millions), not a precise census count; recorded as approximate. Connections
Sources
1. European Robin (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction, first sentence
The European robin (Erithacus rubecula), known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in the British Isles, is a small insectivorous passerine bird belonging to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.
Conservation status section
The International Union for Conservation of Nature evaluates it as least concern.
Conservation status section, population sentence
The European robin has an extensive range and a population numbering in the hundreds of millions.
Description section
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.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: European Robin
Wikipediasystem (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly, diet)Quote, system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly, diet)
The European robin, known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in the British Isles, is a small insectivorous passerine bird belonging to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.
Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: PasseriformesView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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