What Do Robins Eat?
American robins are common sights in backyards throughout most of North America. Watch for robins in your yard, no matter what the weather is like. Find out what robins eat and how to attract these birds throughout the year.
Enjoy 15 cheerful robin bird pictures to welcome spring.
Do Robins Eat Bird Seed?
Robins are not seed eaters, so you won’t attract them with bird feeders. Instead, look for them on the ground. Every child knows that robins eat worms. But they also eat lots of other things, too like insects, grubs, and even snails. We tend to notice them around our gardens because they hunt for these things on the ground.
The next time you observe an American robin in your yard, notice how they curiously tilt their heads. They do this to listen for juicy worms. Robins use both visual and auditory clues to hunt down their favorite slimy snack. Wake up early to listen for a robin bird call.
Robins also eat fruit, which they search for in trees and shrubs—not where we’re used to seeing them. When winter comes, the worms and insects aren’t as available to them, so during the cold months their diet consists mostly of fruit.
What’s the difference: European robin vs American robin.
How to Attract Robins
As the ground thaws and worms break through the surface, robins, members of the thrush family, become more active and visible again. But you can attract robins to your yard even when it’s snowing. In winter, flocks of robins gobble up berries from shrubs and trees. You can attract robins to your yard with trees that bear fruit in winter such as chokecherry, hawthorn and dogwood.
You can also create small piles of leaf litter around your yard to attract robins. According to the National Wildlife Federation, “Leaf litter is a natural habitat for many insects and gives insect and grub-eating birds such as robins, towhees and thrashers, hours of quality snack time.”
Robins also visit bird baths for fresh water. You can offer a heated bird bath in the winter to bring these birds to your yard.
Next, learn all about robin nests and eggs.
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