European robin

Erithacus rubecula · The European robin is a small insect-eating bird with an orange-red breast, found across Europe, east to Western Siberia and south to North Africa.

Also called Robin redbreast.

European robin
Photo: © Francis C. Franklin / CC-BY-SA-3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0
European robin
Photo: Alexis Lours, CC BY 4.0
European robin
Photo: C-M, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyMuscicapidae
GenusErithacus
SpeciesErithacus rubecula

Where it lives

Woods and gardens from Ireland to western Siberia, south to North Africa and Iran.

Fun facts

  • Robins often follow gardeners and even wild boar, hoping to snatch earthworms and other food freshly turned up from the soil.
  • Robins have been known to nest in odd places, including kettles, watering cans, flower pots, hats and even bicycle handlebars.
  • Male robins are so territorial that they have been recorded attacking their own reflection.
  • Some robins sing at night in brightly lit towns, apparently to avoid the daytime noise of people.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).