American Robin

The American Robin is among the most familiar birds in North America — a large thrush with a distinctive orange-red breast, dark grey-brown back, and yellow bill. Males are more vividly colored than females, with a darker, nearly black head in breeding plumage. Juveniles show the spotted breast typical of many thrushes before their first complete molt.

Though routinely encountered as a common garden bird, the American Robin has a surprisingly wide ecological range — from suburban lawns to boreal forest edges and sub-Arctic tundra. Winter flocks foraging on berry-bearing trees can be enormous and nomadic, descending on fruiting crabapples and cedars in large numbers before moving on when the crop is exhausted.

The familiar behavior of head-tilted earthworm-hunting on lawn surfaces, while commonplace, offers a good study in hunting posture and the use of both visual and auditory cues to detect prey underground. Winter berry foraging, particularly in fruit-laden conifers or crabapple trees, can provide excellent close photographic opportunities.