The Robin Feeding Preferences

Robins eat a variety of food depending on the time of day but they are mostly known for being worm-eaters. Earthworms and insects are an important food during the breeding season. They usually eat earthworms in the early part of the day. During winter time, fruits make up most of their diet. On ordinary days, they eat fruits later in the day. Unfortunately, they are vulnerable to pesticide poisoning because they often search for food on lawns.

One distinct behavior of robins is they tend to prioritize food. It always makes sure it has enough food to eat. During its spare time, the females most especially find ways to attract a male by singing.

The American Robin eats fruits and invertebrates. Around 40 percent of their diet consists of invertebrates like beetle grubs, caterpillars and grasshoppers. Fruits and berries both wild and cultivated make up 60 percent of their food. These songbirds look for food on the ground such as lawns and pounces on worms they see and pull them up using their bills. They snatch their prey on the ground after watching their movement while perching above a shrub or tree. They sometimes go near a gardener who is digging soil for possible food like worms.

Did you know that robins also have a sweet tooth? In gardens and backyards, they can eat cakes notably fruit cake and coconut cake as well as uncooked pastry. They also feed on sunflower hearts and mealworms which they will readily eat when you offer them on your hand.

Courtship feeding is also a common trait among robins with the males providing food for the females. This enables the females to gain weight without having to look for their own food. Female robins need a lot of food during the breeding season in preparation for mating and producing eggs. So once a female has a full stomach, she can work on finding the right mate for her.

Male and female robins, meanwhile, have their own separate territories for feeding during the winter season. And as with most birds, they defend their territories as much as they can from predators. As Christmas approaches, many robins are already in pairs although they may not spend much time as a couple. They will remain together, though, until the next autumn when they undergo molting.

For your bird feeders, be sure to provide earthworms if you want to watch robins in your backyard. Maintaining a small lawn is also best as most of the American robins tend to hunt for food on the ground.

The Robin Feeding Preferences

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