European robin

The distinctive orange breast of both sexes contributed to the European robin's original name of "redbreast". The word orange did not become a recognised colour name in English until the 16th century, by which time the fruit of the same name had been introduced. Other names for the bird in different languages also refer to its distinctive colouring: Czech červenka, Dutch , French , Swedish rödhake, German , Italian , Spanish , Hungarian vörösbegy, and Portuguese . In the 15th century, when it became popular to give human names to familiar species, the bird came to be known as robin redbreast, which was eventually shortened to robin. As a given name, Robin is originally a diminutive of the name Robert. The term robin is also applied to some birds in other families with red or orange breasts. These include the American robin (Turdus migratorius, a thrush) and the Australasian robins of the family Petroicidae, the relationships of which are unclear. Other older English names for the bird include ruddock and robinet. In American literature of the late 19th century, this robin was often referred to as the English robin. == Taxonomy and systematics ==

The European robin was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Motacilla rubecula. Its specific epithet rubecula is a diminutive derived from the Latin , meaning 'red'. The genus Erithacus was described by French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1800, giving the bird its current binomial name E. rubecula. The genus name Erithacus is from Ancient Greek and refers to an unknown bird, now usually identified as robin. The genus Erithacus was formerly classified as a member of the thrush family (Turdidae) but is now known to belong to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The genus formerly included the Japanese robin and the Ryukyu robin, but these east Asian species were shown in molecular phylogenetic studies to be more similar to a group of other Asian species than to the European robin; in a reorganisation of the genera, the Japanese and the Ryukyu robins were moved to the resurrected genus Larvivora leaving the European robin as the sole extant member of Erithacus. A 2010 phylogenetic analysis placed Erithacus in a subfamily (Cossyphinae Vigors, 1825, syn. Erithacinae G. R. Gray, 1846) which otherwise contained only African species, but its exact position with respect to the other species in that subfamily was not resolved. Subspecies Within their extensive Eurasian range, robins exhibit some variation, though not enough to constitute distinct populations that could be classified as subspecies. Robin subspecies are mainly distinguished by forming resident populations on islands and in mountainous areas. The robin found in the British Isles and much of western Europe, Erithacus rubecula melophilus, occurs as a vagrant in adjacent regions. E. r. witherbyi from northwest Africa, Corsica, and Sardinia closely resembles E. r. melophilus but has shorter wings. The northeasternmost birds, large and fairly washed-out in colour, are E. r. tataricus. In the southeast of its range, E. r. valens of the Crimean Peninsula, E. r. caucasicus of the Caucasus and northern Transcaucasia, and E. r. hyrcanus southeastwards into Iran are generally accepted as significantly distinct. Canary Islands robins The most distinctive birds are found in Gran Canaria (E. r. marionae) and Tenerife (E. r. superbus), which may be considered two distinct species or at least two different subspecies. They are readily distinguished by a white eye-ring, an intensely coloured breast, a grey line that separates the orange-red from the brown colouration, and the belly is entirely white. indicate that the Gran Canaria/Tenerife robins are indeed very distinct and probably derived from colonisation by mainland birds some 2 million years ago. In 2003, Christian Dietzen, Hans-Hinrich Witt and Michael Wink published a study in Avian Science entitled "The phylogeographic differentiation of the European robin Erithacus rubecula on the Canary Islands revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequence data and morphometrics: evidence for a new robin taxon on Gran Canaria?". A thorough comparison between E. r. marionae and E. r. superbus is pending to confirm that the first one is effectively a different subspecies. Initial results suggest that birds from Gran Canaria have wings about 10% shorter than those on Tenerife. but it only occurs in the UK as a very rare vagrant. Some South and Central American Turdus thrushes are also called robins, such as the rufous-collared thrush. The Australian "robin redbreast", more correctly the scarlet robin (Petroica boodang), is more closely related to crows and jays than it is to the European robin. It belongs to the family Petroicidae, whose members are commonly called "Australasian robins". The red-billed leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea) is sometimes named the "Pekin robin" by aviculturalists. Another group of Old World flycatchers, this time from Africa and Asia, is the genus Copsychus; its members are known as magpie-robins, one of which, the Oriental magpie robin (C. saularis), is the national bird of Bangladesh. == Description ==

The adult European robin is long and weighs , with a wingspan of . The male and female bear similar plumage: an orange breast and face (more strongly coloured in the otherwise similar British subspecies E. r. melophilus), lined by a bluish grey on the sides of the neck and chest. The upperparts are brownish, or olive-tinged in British birds, and the belly whitish, while the legs and feet are brown. The bill and eyes are black. Juveniles are a spotted brown and white in colouration, with patches of orange gradually appearing. == Distribution and habitat ==

The robin is found in Eurasia, from Western Siberia in the east to Algeria in the south, and on Atlantic islands as far west as the Central Group of the Azores and Madeira. It is a vagrant in Iceland. In the southeast, its range extends to Iran and the Caucasus mountain range. In southern Iberia, habitat segregation of resident and migrant robins occurs, with resident robins remaining in the same woodlands where they bred. Attempts to introduce the European robin into Australia and New Zealand in the late part of the 19th century were unsuccessful. Birds were released in the areas around Melbourne, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin by various local acclimatisation societies, but none of them became established. A similar outcome occurred in North America when birds failed to become established after being released in Long Island, New York in 1852, Oregon in 1889–1892, and the Saanich Peninsula in British Columbia in 1908–1910. == Behaviour and ecology ==

The robin is diurnal, although it has been reported to hunt insects on moonlit nights or near artificial light. In continental Europe, however, robins were hunted and killed as were most other small birds. Consequently, they are more wary. They will also eat seed mixtures and suet placed on bird-tables, as well as left-overs. Territorial disputes sometimes lead to fatalities, accounting for up to 10% of adult robin deaths in some areas. Because of high mortality in the first year of life, a robin has an average life expectancy of 1.1 years; however, once past its first year, life expectancy increases. One robin has been recorded as reaching 19 years of age. A spell of very low temperatures in winter can, however, result in higher mortality rates. The species is parasitised by the moorhen flea (Dasypsyllus gallinulae) and the acanthocephalan Apororhynchus silesiacus. Breeding Robins can build nests in a variety of places. In fact, they will consider anything that offers some shelter, such as a depression or a hole. As well as crevices and sheltered banks, they may also use pieces of machinery, barbecues, bicycle handlebars, the bristles of upturned brooms, discarded kettles, watering cans, flower pots and hats. Robins will also nest in manmade nest boxes, favouring a design with an open front placed in a sheltered position up to from the ground. Nests are generally composed of moss, leaves and grass, with fine grass, hair and feathers for lining. Two or three clutches of five or six eggs are laid throughout the breeding season, which commences in March in Britain and Ireland. The eggs are a cream, buff or white speckled or blotched with reddish-brown colour, often more heavily so at the larger end. When juvenile birds fly from the nests, their colouration is entirely mottled brown. After two to three months out of the nest, the juvenile bird grows some orange feathers under its chin, and over a similar period this patch gradually extends to complete the adult appearance of an entirely red-orange breast. Nocturnal singing can also occur, especially in urban areas that are artificially lit during the night. Magnetoreception prevents migratory robins from orienting correctly to the Earth's magnetic field. Since this would not interfere with an iron compass, the experiments imply that the birds use a radical-pair mechanism. == Conservation status ==

The European robin has an extensive range and a population numbering in the hundreds of millions. The species does not approach the vulnerable thresholds under the population trend criterion (>30 per cent decline over ten years or three generations); the population appears to be increasing. The International Union for Conservation of Nature evaluates it as least concern. == Cultural depictions ==

The robin features prominently in British folklore and that of northwestern France, but much less so in other parts of Europe, though in the nineteenth century Jacob Grimm reported a tradition from German-speaking Europe that if someone disturbed a robin's nest their house would be struck by lightning. Robins feature in the traditional English children's tale Babes in the Wood; the birds cover the dead bodies of the children. The robin has become strongly associated with Christmas, taking a starring role on many Christmas cards since the mid-19th century. The robin has appeared on many Christmas postage stamps. The robin is a sacred bird in Welsh folklore where it is said to have taken pity on the souls in Hell and decided to scoop water up in its beak and fly down into the "fiery pit" in one tale, to offer the sinners some respite; in another to extinguishing the eternal flames forever. As such, the robin still bares the scorch marks of these fires on its head and chest and is called "Brou-Rhuddyn" (English: "burnt-breast") in the Welsh language today. However the sacred bird could also be seen as a bad omen if they break a house's threshold, sometimes signaling death or illness. In the Welsh coalfields, a robin appearing underground was seen as a harbinger of a catastrophic accident to come. In the 1960s, in a vote publicised by The Times, the robin was adopted as the unofficial national bird of the United Kingdom. In 2015, the robin was again voted Britain's national bird in a poll organised by birdwatcher David Lindo, taking 34% of the final vote. Several English and Welsh sports organisations are nicknamed "the Robins". The nickname is typically used for teams whose home colours predominantly use red. These include the professional football clubs Bristol City, Crewe Alexandra, Swindon Town, Cheltenham Town and, traditionally, Wrexham A.F.C., as well as the English rugby league team Hull Kingston Rovers (whose home colours are white with a red band). As of 2019, Bristol City, Swindon Town and Cheltenham Town also incorporate a robin image in their current badge designs. A small bird is an unusual choice, although it is thought to symbolise agility in darting around the field. == Footnotes ==