Wild Child: Who's nest do I see?

A robin sits on a messy nest made of grasses and mud. The nest is located on top of an outdoor light fixture.

Have you noticed nests appearing around houses and buildings lately. Are nests are cup shaped with mud and grass and twigs woven together. They may have trailing pieces of grasses hanging out to give them a messy look.

You have probably spotted an American Robin’s nest.

Female robin stands on the ground eating a berry.
A male robin perches on a log surrounded by grass. His darker head is clearly visible and he has a worm in his beak.

You may be able to an American Robin from children’s storybooks and they are easy to spot as the build nests and sing boldly in the spring.

Size/Shape

American Robins are a medium sized bird (the largest song bird) and have a familiar round body, long legs, and long tail.

Colour

American Robins have grey brown colouring with an orange chest a white patch under their bellies close to their tails. Males typically have a darker head than females.

Behaviour

These birds often stand on lawns, beak tilted up. They can usually be seen working hard to forage worms and other insects from the ground and berries from bushes or collecting nesting material.

Habitat

American Robins are common throughout North America. They can be found on lawns, in fields, in woodlands, and in gardens.

More information

Learn more about the American Robin here and listen to it’s “cheer-up cheerily, cheer-up, cheerily” musical song here.

Written by Tandy Morton, Wild Child Outdoor Playgroup Facilitator

Blog, science, play, spring, Wild Child, winterNT Mortonbirds, birds canada, bird identification, wild child, outdoor play, American Robin