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bird question about robins

i am curious and pretty sure i know the answer but am not 100 percent sure.

Has anyone ever seen a robin eat at a bird feeder? or are they strictly worms and insects type of birds, I have been a birder for a long time and help feed the locals, during summer and mainly winter, I dont ever recall seeing a robin on any of my feeders, this just struck me as odd this morning as I assembl;ed debs new outdoor canopy swing all the birds were singing and a number of them eating, i could hear the robins but not see them, thank you

I've never seen a Robin at a bird feeder. I think you're right - they are strictly worms and insect eaters. I'm just guessing, though.

I've had bird feeders for a long time and, although we have lots of Robin's that eat in the yard, none of them have ever been to my feeders. They don't even eat the seed that falls beneath it.

The robins loved the suet I make...they land on the cages and peck at it.
Some stand on the ground below the feeders and get the crumbles of the suet.

I have a question about a robin that lives in my yard...nested here, raised three little ones and about drove me crazy pecking at my bay windows.
His feathers are ruffled...he looks like he just got out of the bird bath but he's dry...why???? :D What happened to his feathers to make them look like this?

Alffe...does the robin have a look on its face similar to this?.... :yikes:

Just wondering. LOL

I have never had robins at bird feeders and we have tons of them around here. Vewwy interesting about the suet cage though.

What's that suet recipe again??? :o

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alffe (Post 325544)

I have a question about a robin that lives in my yard...nested here, raised three little ones and about drove me crazy pecking at my bay windows.
His feathers are ruffled...he looks like he just got out of the bird bath but he's dry...why???? :D What happened to his feathers to make them look like this?

Maybe he's going for the "casual bed-head look" that's so popular with the younger crowd these days! Looks like they put glue in their hair, ruffled it with their fingers and let it go....:D:D

I have a Service Berry tree that gets small red berries in June. The Robins love, love, love those berries!! It's very entertaining to see them hop up, latch on to a berry, and wrestle it free. :D

I also have a feeder in the backyard and I've never seen them eat out of it. For my Robins it's either worms or berries. :) Yummy! ;)

Well by golly I have never thought about it but I do believe I have never seen a Robin at any feeders. Now I will be obsessed about watching. Hiding in the bushes and what not

.

AHA! My obsession for useless information pays off!

Quote:

In summer, when there is an abundance of all kinds of food, the adult's diet is usually about 60% plant (mostly fruit) and 40% animal (mostly worms and insects). However, when the weather turns cold, robins must switch to eating almost nothing but fruit. When it's very cold, a robin keeps warm by shivering, and the sugar from berries gives it plenty of energy to shiver. When robins over-winter in northern places, they usually stay near fruit trees, and during cold snaps in spring robins may return to them. Fruit also gives robins energy to fuel their long migration.

Cold weather keeps fruit fairly fresh, but eventually it gets moldy just as food left too long in a refrigerator does. And old fruit slowly ferments, which means that the some of the sugar changes to alcohol. If robins eat too many fermented berries, they can become confused and clumsy, and sometimes crash into things or get killed by predators. So as soon as any fresh food becomes available in spring, robins desert the old berries and concentrate on worms and any early bugs until the trees leaf out and new fruits start to grow.

Verrry Verrry interesting! Hey Alffe maybe that robin had too much fermented fruit.

thank you eveyone

Alffe I know when the young come out of the nest, they can have that molted look, kind of late to just be coming out, not sure if robins will have a second set of eggs if something bad happend to first

thanks for the info about the robins diet would explain why they dont feed on the feeders, cool thanks