Behavior edit
In its wintering grounds, the American robin spends most of its time during the day and gathers in large flocks at night to roost in trees in isolated swamps or dense vegetation. During the day, when the birds feed in smaller groups on fruits and berries, the flocks split up. The American robin becomes less gregarious and defends its breeding area in the summer. [12].
Conservation status edit
With an estimated range of 16,000,000 km2 (6,200,000 sq mi), the American robin is a large bird with a population of about 370 million. The western subspecies (T. m. propinquus) in central California is thought to be spreading, as is probably the case across the country. [7] Although extreme weather and climate change pose a threat, the population trend seems stable, and the species does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable species as defined by the population trend criterion ( [1].
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act has protected the bird throughout its range in the United States after it was once slaughtered for its meat. [12].
Distribution and habitat edit
The majority of North America is home to American robin breeding populations, extending from Alaska and Canada to northern Florida and Mexico. While some robins do occasionally overwinter in the northern United States and southern Canada,[16] the majority migrate south of Canada to spend the winter, originating in Florida and the Gulf Coast and extending along the Pacific Coast. [16] The majority start their journey northward in February and March after leaving the south by the end of August (exact dates vary with latitude and climate) Depending on their original habitat, robins migrate over a wide range of distances; one study found that tagged robins in Alaska have been known to travel up to three 5x further across seasons than robins tagged in Massachusetts. [17].
In actuality, this species is an uncommon vagrant to western Europe, with more than 20 records of it occurring in Great Britain. [7] Migration was redirected eastward in the fall of 2003, resulting in large-scale movements across the eastern U S. , and presumably for this reason, three American robins were discovered in Great Britain, two of which attempted to overwinter in 20032004[18]; however, one of them was captured by an Eurasian sparrowhawk. [19][20] A sighting occurred in Great Britain in January 2007. [21] Additionally, this species has been reported to have wandered to Greenland, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Belize. When recognized as belonging to a subspecies, vagrants to Europe are the eastern subspecies (T m. migratorius), but there were also Newfoundland subspecies of birds among the Greenland birds (T m. nigrideus), and the southern subspecies (T) could have accounted for some of the southern overshots. m. achrusterus). [7].
The breeding habitat of American robins is open farmland, urban areas, and woodlands. Large shade trees on lawns are preferred in the southernmost region of the Deep South of the United States, where it becomes less common as a breeder. [22] Although there are more open spaces in its winter habitat, it is similar. [7].
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