![]() “In the spring they migrate with a 36-degree isotherm,” Howard explains. Some robin behaviors take place in step with the warming temperatures that people associate with the arrival of spring.įor instance, as temperatures warm in springtime, the bulk of the robin population follows a more reliable northward spring migration pattern. Though notions of spring vary by region and temperature. Robins haven’t been entirely dethroned from their poetic status as spring symbol. Photo © Lisa Feldkamp / The Nature Conservancy The First Robin of Spring They can survive on their own by eating snow, but birds always welcome a source of unfrozen water for drinking and bathing. If you want to observe robins in winter, try putting out water for them. That’s how well their feathers insulate them there can even be a 100-degree difference just through those layers of feathers.” Their internal temperature is 104° F and yet they can be in areas below freezing. “It’s amazing, the way they survive winter is they fluff their feathers and get really big. “Sometimes you see them and it’s so cold you think, ‘My goodness they’ll all die.’” Howard says. Those who remain near their mating grounds will get first dibs on the best nesting territories when spring arrives. And one of the beauties of flocking is that if one of them finds some food, it can call the rest.”Įven in freezing temperatures, robins can stay warm enough to make staying through the winter worthwhile. ![]() “They form flocks - all those eyes and ears are good for watching out for predators. “In the wintertime robins are actually social,” Howard says. Photo © Seabamirum / Flickr through a CC BY 2.0 license Since worms and insects aren’t available, they search out trees that still have fruit. Many robins, especially those that remain in the northern states and southern Canada, change their diets in winter. You’ll see them wandering around and yet it’s not considered migration because basically they’re moving in a nomadic way, following the food.” ![]() “In most places you can see robins in the wintertime. “Robins can withstand very cold temperatures,” Howard explains. She pointed out that robins, though they are considered migratory, don’t follow the typical north to south and back migration pattern we tend to associate with other migratory birds. Journey North’s American Robin project is tracking robin movements across North America. To learn more about this behavior, I spoke to Elizabeth Howard, Founder and Director of Journey North. Spring has certainly not arrived, so why have the robins? Weirder still, these robins weren’t eating their standard springtime worms, they were noshing on late fruiting berries. Recently, while gazing out my apartment window, I saw not just one robin but a flock of thirty or more visiting my neighborhood trees.
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