American Robin

Turdus migratorius

American Robin. Photo:Donald R. Gunn, Canadian Museum of Nature

The American robin is the most well known member of the thrush family, a musical family which also includes the veery, Swainson's thrush, hermit thrush, wood thrush, and the rare Bicknell's and gray-cheeked thrush. All thrushes are reknowned for their entrancing flute-like song, and the robin is no exception. In Southern Canada the song of the American robin is first heard in early April, and is welcomed as a heart-warming sign of spring. The robin differs from all other North American thrushes in that it has adapted well to human settlement. Consequently, this species resides in towns, parks, suburbs, and rural areas; nearly any site that contains trees and clearings. Most robins in Eastern Canada migrate to the southern U.S. during winter. Interestingly, individual birds return to the same nesting site year-after-year, with males usually returning to their birthplace. Exactly how migratory birds locate their ancestral breeding sites after lengthy migrations remains a mystery to ornithologists.

Distribution of American Robin in Canada