Robin Query

Unknown said:

Hi Everyone

Seen a strange site this morning and wondered if anyone had any ideas.

One of my Robins has been gathering 4-5 mealworms at a time and taking them to feed his Mrs in a garden over the road.  (Ungrateful little devil - I am sure my garden would make a better nesting site!! ha ha )  This morning he was sat on the bush in our garden next to a dense hedge and another one came and sat by him and I thought he would chase it off, as he usually does with other Robins, but he got 2 worms and went and fed her. This happened about 3 times and then she flew into the hedge and he got 4 more worms and flew to the garden over the road.  Has he got 2 wives?? does this happen with Robins?

Sorry if this is a daft question! but it was fascinating to watch him.  It was definately not a youngster.

Chez

The breeding season normally begins in March. As the courtship intensifies, you may observe two robins chasing each other. Contrary to what you may expect, it is the female chasing the male! The vast majority of nests are located on or near the ground in hollows, nooks and crannies, climbing plants, hedge-banks, tree roots, piles of logs and any other situations that provide a fully concealed cavity. Robins are famous for nesting in all kinds of unlikely locations, including sheds, kettles, boots, hanging baskets, coat pockets, under car bonnets, in farm machinery, even on boats in daily use.

The cup nest, built by the female alone, is made of dead leaves and moss, lined with hair. Courtship feeding is very prominent at this time of year, and the male can supply over a third of his mate’s food intake during nest building and egg laying whcih is probably going behinds the scenes when you spotted this. This extra food is important and can make a difference to the clutch size, particularly since a complete clutch represents about 90% of the female’s total body weight. She normally lays 4-6 eggs, one each day, usually early in the morning. She is very sensitive to any disturbance during the nest building and egg laying, and will easily desert if she thinks that the nest has been discovered.

The female then incubates the eggs alone for 13 days. She removes the hatched eggshells immediately, and sometimes eats part of them for extra calcium. Both parents look after the nestlings, which are ready to fledge when they are 14 days old. Young robins with their all-brown speckled plumage look very different from their parents. Without the red breast, a young robin is able to move in any robin’s territory without being attacked. This allows it to learn survival skills before it has to hold its own against other robins. They will gain their red breast only later in the autumn when they moult their body feathers.

Young robins are then tended by their parents for up to three weeks after fledging. The care of the fledged young is often left to the male, while the female prepares herself for the next nesting effort. Robins have two or three broods a year, and may even try a fourth if conditions remain good. These multiple broods result in a long breeding season, and nestlings can still be found in late July.

Despite being fiercely territorial against their own kind, robins do not normally bother about birds of other species near their nest. The parental instincts of robins are highly developed, which has led to the frequent reports to the wildlife enquiries team of robins also feeding the chicks or fledglings of other species. The most regular recipients of this unexpected care are song thrush, blackbird, spotted flycatcher and willow warbler.