Put your knowledge to the test! Do you know these cool facts about American Robins?
1. American Robins are actually thrushes
Many species are called robins. But the American Robin got its name from colonial settlers for its resemblance to the European Robin.
Old World Robins and American Robins aren’t related but it does explain how the prolific bird got its name.
American robins vs European robins (aka Old World Robins) are quite different in appearance, too.
2. Robins like getting drunk
Many birds do! Fruit is known to ferment and make ethanol (just one kind of alcohol).
That’s also why human-made alcohol is often made of fruit, like wine made from grapes. Robins eat fermented berries in early spring when it ferments.
If you see some lethargic robins lying about, they might be too tipsy to fly!
3. Robins sleep in large groups
This is a common bird practice called roosting. Birds do it for both protection— larger numbers can warn against predators— and warmth.
4. Robins fly thousands of miles
American Robins migration in the spring leads these birds to fly an average of 3,000 miles! They might travel a couple hundred miles a day during migration with some flying as far as 5,000 miles.
Too bad they don’t earn frequent flyer miles.
5. There are some peculiar Wives Tales about Robins
Mairead Geary explains the old practice of ”Wishing on the First Robin of Spring Time for one last piece of advice. If you see the first robin of spring, make a wish.”
The practice comes from Irish folklore. “But do so quickly. This old wives' tale warns that if the bird flies away before you have made your wish, you have an unlucky year ahead of you.”
Then there’s stamping robins, the act of witnessing a robin for good luck. It’s not clear where this originates from, though.
Some considered Robins harbingers of spring simply because they return to their breeding grounds before other species migrate.
6. Robins have several broods each spring
They can lay a few rounds of eggs each spring during breeding season, and as many as 3 different broods.
A brood of birds is a group of fledglings that are born and raised around the same time.
7. Their nests are targets for brood parasites
Robin nests are often a target of parasitic Brown-headed Cowbirds.
Brood parasites are when one bird lays its egg in another birds' nest, sometimes even destroying its' eggs. The nesting bird will hatch and raise the brood parasite but won't form a bond.
- Related: 5 Best Winter Bird Houses of 2025
8. Robins return to the same nest each year
Robins practice site fidelity which is when they return to the same area to nest each year.
Sometimes renovations are needed to revamp the nest for the current season. Luckily, no permits are needed.
9. They’re 366 million strong
Robins are one of the most common birds in North America. Despite their large populations Robins have a short lifespan— an average of 2 years.
10. American Robin songs & pop culture influence
Regardless of folklore, robin bird songs are signs that spring has sprung in North America. They start early because they're the first songbirds to migrate back in the spring.
That's why the American Robins' song is a herald of spring.
But does the Robins’ spring song compare to Bobby Day’s "Rockin’ Robin"? My second grade class performed this. I even wore a Tweety Bird hat!
The song is also canonically where Stranger Things music buff Robin Buckley’s nickname originates.
11. Pesticides directly affect Robins
An American Robin’s diet is about 20% earth worms. Lawns that use pesticides poison the bugs and larvae that many birds rely on for survival.
Robins don’t know that, though, and will eat the worms and poison, affecting their life cycles and our food chain.
A pretty lawn doesn’t matter if your ecosystem collapses.
12. Robin — Batman’s sidekick
There are a number of similarities between Robin and American Robins. There are actually several characters named after birds in the Batman franchise, which is why Batman's Robin is #12 on our list.
How’d he get the name?
There are a number of different explanations based on reboots of the character over time.
One story is that Bruce Wayne wore a prototype of the costume as a kid and dubbed it Robin when the red vest reminded him of the bird. Another version is that Wayne claimed to name him after Robin Hood.
Alternatively, the original 1940s Dick Grayson was nicknamed Robin by his mother because his trapeze act reminded her of the bird.
Similarities with Birds
Aside from Robin's costume there are some other avian qualities.
- Batman is named after a flying, nocturnal mammal, while Robin is named after a diurnal bird, creating a contrast in their operandi (night vs. day)
- Robin glides, swings, or falls from high places in Gotham City mimicking the flight patterns of birds.
- Like birds, he perches on high vantage points to survey his surroundings.
Have you seen an American Robin lately?
Or maybe Batman's Robin? Share them on the Sparkbird App! Available in the Apple App Store.
- Related: How to Use the Sparkbird App
