this hedge is mine. i keep notes on who has been in it.
Robin says
Bird 1 of 30 · video, 04:46
Robin
Erithacus rubecula
The garden's most familiar bird: an orange-red breast, thin legs and a very firm hold on its patch.
- Small, 19 g
- Stays all year
- Open-fronted box
- On or near the ground
- On the ground or lawn
About the robin
Marks and dots
Tap a numbered dot, or a name in the list.
The bright orange-red breast is the giveaway, and males and females both have it.
Pin-thin, spindly legs.
That tuneful song is mostly a warning to rival birds.
A young robin has not grown its red breast yet.
Uniformly brown, with darker streaks and spots.
From egg to adult
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Egg
Eggs4–5 eggs BTO
Hatch after14–16 days≠BTOthe video says 13 days
-
Chick in the nest
In the nest for14 days video, BTO agrees
3–5 young per brood video only
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Young bird
A young robin has no red breast at all.
Switch the drawing above to Young for its marks.
Adult
Orange-red breast, thin legs
Broods a yearup to 3 broods video, BTO agrees
BTO averages: 14 days incubating the eggs, then 14 days in the nest. Averages across nest records, so the figures above can differ a little.
At the table
- worms and grubs
The video does not say what robins eat. RSPB says they follow gardeners around and pounce on the worms and grubs a spade turns up.
Through the year
Robin: around Jan to Dec; Christmas-card season, Dec; first eggs laid 19 Mar to 10 Jun, average 18 Apr (BTO); first chicks leave the nest 14 Apr to 12 Jul (worked out from BTO).
What to know about the robin
Eight short notes in our own words. Each chip says what the note stands on, and links to its row in the table below.
What to look for
You know a robin by the bright orange-red breast and the thin, spindly legs. Males and females look exactly alike.
Male and female
There is nothing to tell a male from a female by eye. Both wear the red breast.
The young
A young robin has no red breast at all. It is brown all over, with darker streaks and spots, so it is easy to miss as a robin.
Song and call
The song is pleasant, but its main job is a keep-out message to rival birds. A robin puffs out its red breast and acts fiercely if another bird comes into its patch.
Nest
Robins pick odd nest sites: old kettles, cans and boots have been chosen over the usual holes among tree roots and plants. An open-fronted nest box will be taken up readily.
Feeding
The video does not say what robins eat. RSPB says they follow gardeners around and pounce on the worms and grubs a spade turns up.
Staying or leaving
The video does not say whether robins move about. BTO says they are here all year, and that birds from northern and eastern Europe join them in winter.
In the garden
Its friendly, clever nature has made it a great favourite, and a crimson-breasted robin in the snow is on thousands of Christmas cards.
Sources and checks
Where every fact about the robin came from
18 claims about the robin: 2 checked, 10 from the video only,1 differ, 5 from a source only. How the grades work
| Claim, in our words | Video time | Grade | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male and female robins look the same, with a bright orange-red breast. | 04:51 | video only | |
| Robins have thin, spindly legs. | 04:56 | video only | |
| Young robins have no red breast and are brown with darker streaks and spots. | 05:02 | video only | |
| A robin's pleasant song is mainly a keep-out threat to rival birds. | 05:13 | video only | |
| A robin puffs out its red breast and reacts aggressively when other birds enter its patch. | 05:17 | video only | |
| Robin nest sites are eccentric: old kettles, cans and boots are sometimes chosen over holes among tree roots and plants. | 05:26 | video only | |
| An open-fronted nest box will readily be taken by a robin. | 05:41 | video only | |
| There can be three broods a year.video: up to 3 broods | 05:44 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 2 broods (3 exceptionally) (BTO typical)up to 3 sits between BTO's typical top (2) and the most BTO records (3) |
| Each brood has three to five young.video: 3–5 young per brood | 05:46 | video only | The video counts young; BTO counts eggs, so the two are not compared. |
| The eggs hatch after 13 days.video: 13 days | 05:49 | ≠differs | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 14–16 days (BTO typical)outside BTO's typical range of 14–16, though inside the 11.5–17.5 BTO has observed |
| The young fly two weeks after hatching.video: 14 days | 05:52 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 12.5–16 days (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 12.5–16 |
| The robin's intelligent, friendly nature has made it a great favourite. | 05:56 | video only | |
| A crimson-breasted robin in the snow is on thousands of Christmas cards, a symbol of the festive season. | 06:01 | video only | |
| BTO says the robin is here all year, and that birds from northern and eastern Europe add to the winter numbers. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO's introduction to the species. |
| RSPB says robins follow gardeners, ready to pounce on unearthed worms and grubs. | source only | source only | RSPB, read 2026-10-05RSPB's robin page, key features. |
| Adult weight, from ringing records: 19 g, adult average. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 19 g, adult average |
| Timing of the first clutch: first eggs laid around 18 Apr (19 Mar-10 Jun). | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: first eggs laid around 18 Apr (19 Mar-10 Jun) |
| Typical clutch: 4–5 eggs (BTO typical). | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 4–5 eggs (BTO typical) |
Written in our own words after “British Birds in your Garden” by The Great British Channel, where the robin starts at 04:46.Numbers are checked against the BTO's page for the robin, read on 5 October 2026. We are not connected to the channel or to the BTO.
More birbs: 30 so far, and more to come
The coins down the right of the screen are all 30. Tap one to go to that bird.