Frequently Asked Questions Students Ask and Experts Answer Contributed by Ornithology Expert Laura Erickson Teaching Suggestions By Year 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 By Topic Characteristics size weight body systems physiology senses other physical characteristics communication Life Cycle longevity birth and growth reproduction and young heredity parenting behavior people and nesting robins Ecology habitat and range niche food enemies adaptations migration populations distribution ecosystems Conservation threats/human impacts habitat loss conservation status historic population size conservation efforts, etc. Characteristics Why are robins called American Robins? What states and provinces have named the robin their official bird? What English bird looks a lot like our robin? What is the robin's scientific name and how is it classified? Size, Weight, and other Physical Characteristics What is the robin's expected lifespan? How big are robins? What do robins weigh? What do robins sound like? What color are robins? Why are some robins all or partly white? I have a robin in my yard that has a lot of white patches on its body. Is is an albino? What do robins look like when they're flying? How fast do robins fly? Why do robins hop? How are robins different from and similar to other thrushes? Body Systems and Physiology How is a robin's body adapted to its lifestyle and habitat? Senses and Intelligence How do a robin's senses compare with a human's? Are robins color-blind, or do they use a particular part of the spectrum? How smart are robins? Communication How do robins communicate? How can we study robin songs? Life Cycle Longevity How long do robins live? Do robins mate for life? Reproduction What is a robin nest like? How many eggs do robins normally lay? What color are robin eggs? Why do robins lay their eggs later in the morning than most songbirds? How long does it take for robin eggs to hatch? How much do newly-hatched robins weigh? What color are robin chicks? What three things does a baby robin know as soon as it hatches? How do baby robins recognize their parents? How do baby robins keep their nest clean? When do young robins learn to fly? Help! Robins Nesting Around the House Nests and Eggs Can I move a robin's nest? Is this common for a robin to build two nests at once? Will a blue jay steal eggs from a robin's nest? Help! We found a robin's egg in our yard. Help! Should we try to raise abandoned eggs ourselves? More questions about robin nests and eggs Baby Robins HELP! I found a baby, or a hurt, robin! Why are baby robins ugly at first? Why has the mother stopped sitting on the nest at night? When a nestling falls from the nest, can I put it back? Should I rescue an orphaned robin? I'm raising a baby robin. What do I need to know? More about raising a baby robin I have a baby robin with a deformed beak. What should I do? My male robin was killed. Will the female find another mate? More questions about baby robins Trouble with Robins Around the House How can I keep robins from crashing into windows? #1 How can I keep robins from crashing into windows? #2 Help! How do I get rid of robins without hurting them or the eggs? More q uestions about problems with robins on houses and at windows Ecology Habitat and Range What is the range of the American robin? I think I heard a robin in England. Is that possible? What is the robin's habitat? Niche What is the robin's role in the ecosystem? What are a robin's enemies? Food What do robins eat? What happens to robins when worms are in scarce supply? How do earthworms migrate? Robins in Winter What do robins wintering in the north eat? Doesn't a robin know enough to migrate south? Won't the cold hurt robins? Should I be feeding a robin wintering in my backyard? Do robins need water in the winter? This winter we have seen them by the dozens and hundreds! Why? More q uestions about wintering robins Migration Can we find out where our own backyard robins migrate? How do we participate in the Journey North Robin Migration Study? Do robins really migrate along the 37-degree isotherm? How is weather linked with robin migration? How do we tell whether a robin in our yard in early spring is a migrant or a territorial bird? Where was this robin yesterday? Which returns first: males or females? Why do females arrive later than males? How do I tell the first robin of spring from the last robin of winter? More q uestions about Spring Migration Behavioral Adaptations: Migration What do robins eat when getting ready for their migration? Do robins travel together when they migrate? What might be some advantages for robins to migrate in groups? Do all the robins leave at the same time? Where do robins spend the winter? How far is the robins' migration? Do robins migrate by day or night? When do robins leave their wintering grounds? Many neotropical migrants have a fairly regular migration from year to year. Why don't robins depart at almost the identical time each spring? How do robins prepare for the journey north? When do the robins arrive in their breeding (summer) home? What do the robins do first upon arrival back on their territories in the spring? How fast do robins fly during migration? How far do robins usually fly each day when they migrate north? Why is the timing of robin migration so important? What are the best weather conditions for robin migration? What are the least favorable weather conditions for migrating robins? What do migrating robins do during bad weather? How do robins find their way when storms blow them far off course? Do all the robins survive the migration? What are some of the hazards that robins face on their long migrations? Conservation What is the American robins' population status? How can there be more robins today than there were when the colonists first came to America? How do humans affect robin migration? What are the biggest dangers facing robins? What are the biggest dangers robins face? How can we help robins? How can we build a nest platform for robins? What are some good trees and shrubs we can plant that will provide food for robins? How can we make a robin feeder?   More general questions about robins   This Season Teachers Kids Orientation Registration Search Copyright 1997-2010 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Questions or comments? Contact us.