American Robin

1/1000s at f5.6, ISO:800, Canon Mark III 1Ds w/800mm


The American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering south of Canada from Florida to central Mexico and along the Pacific Coast. The American Robin\'s diet generally consists of around 40 percent invertebrates, such as beetle grubs, caterpillars and grasshoppers, and 60 percent wild and cultivated fruits and berries. Nestlings are fed mainly on worms and other soft-bodied animal prey. The American Robin begins to breed shortly after returning to its summer range. It is one of the first North American bird species to lay eggs, and normally has two to three broods per breeding season, which lasts from April to July. A clutch consists of three to five light blue eggs, and is incubated by the female alone. The eggs hatch after 14 days, and chicks leave the nest a further two weeks later. Even after leaving the nest, the juveniles will follow their parents around and beg food from them. Juveniles become capable of sustained flight two weeks after fledging.
Medicine Creek, NE
 
07/08/2010