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Introduction to Robins: A Beginner's Guide to Albino Robins, Diet, Nesting, and Flight© Mary M. Alward The wings and back are gray, their tail feathers are black with white tips, and thier throat is striped black and white. This striping is more prominent in males. The lower stomach, near the tail, is white. The breast ranges in color from dark to bright red. Male robins' breasts are a brighter red than the breasts of females. Albino Robins Believe it or not, some robins are partially or totally white. These are called albinos (pronounced al-bine-ohs.) Robins which are only partly albino might have a white back, wings, or breast. A true albino is totally white. Chemicals in our bodies, called pigments, determine what color we will be. When a robin’s body makes no pigment, their feathers are white (albinos are found in many species, including humans.) Albinism causes the robin’s feathers to be weakly formed. Only one robin in 30,000is an albino. These discolored birds don’t live as long as their natural counterparts. Robin Nesting, Reproduction, and Diet A robin’s nest is built of roots, grass, twigs and leaves. The female does the nest-building. Nests are built 5 to 25 feet off the ground. When the outside is finished, she lines the inside of the nest with clay to strengthen it. She then adds fine grass, hair, or if she can find it, wool, on which she lays three to five eggs. The female robin incubates her eggs by sitting on them for about two weeks before they hatch. She will lay 2 or 3 clutches of eggs every year. Robins forage for food on lawns, in open meadows, fields and orchards. They do this alone and in flocks. They enjoy eating fruits and berries, but also enjoy a good worm, grub or insect lunch. They run, stop and watch for movement by twisting and turning their heads. You will often see them foraging in a light rain. This could be because worms are more plentiful on the surface when it rains. While robins can see a wider variety of colors, see further distances, and hear higher pitched sounds than humans, they do not taste the variety of flavors in the same way. Everything a robin eats tastes much the same to it.
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The copyright of the article Introduction to Robins: A Beginner's Guide to Albino Robins, Diet, Nesting, and Flight in Science for Kids is owned by Mary M. Alward. Permission to republish Introduction to Robins: A Beginner's Guide to Albino Robins, Diet, Nesting, and Flight in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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