Robins- Erithacus rubecula- are familiar garden birds with connotations to Christmas with scenes of robins perched on a red post box in the snow. The male and female are identical with their distinctive round silhouette, red/ orange face and breast and brownish flank. Robins sign all year around with sharp 'tik' and high 'see' producing a long, fluent melancholy melody which frequently changes in speed.
Robins are diurnal, although they have been found to sing and catch insects near artificial lights (street lights) during the night. Male robins are fiercely territorial, attacking other males, competitors and other small bird species. Territorial disputes account for 10% of fatalities within male robins with most robins dying within the first year. The robins that survive the first year of life are more likely to live for a lot longer. The robins create a flaunting warmbling during mating season, initiating their song an hour before sunrise and ending just after sunset. A male keeps its territory all year around, where as a female moves from their summer breeding territory to a near by area more suitable for winter feeding.
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