robin

[asenathwaite]

A robin appeared.



It was cute.



And then it did this.



For a few minutes I was afraid it had died, but then it pulled itself back together and hopped away.

Comments

[seasonoftowers]

I'd guess it was anting - they do that to keep their feathers free of parasites

[asenathwaite]

Ooh, could be. It was scratching and pecking itself quite vigorously.

[yourlibrarian]

I haven't seen a robin doing this yet, but the mourning doves that visit us have done it several times. Cool to catch the robin at this since they don't tend to lounge around the way the doves do!

[thenewbuzwuzz]

That's interesting! :)

[cesy]

American robins are so different from European ones.

[rain_gryphon]

American Robins are a kind of thrush. They're closely related to the English blackbird - same size and shape, same habits, same diet. etc.

[killertofuuu]

Aww, pretty bird.

[dewline]

Didn't know that this was a thing they did.

Cool!

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

I knew about small birds taking dust baths, but anting is a new thing I've learned today!

Yes, American Robins are only like old world Robins in having a red breast. They love to walk about and sometimes 'fly' only as in hopping (they do this about humans a lot, like they know we're not a threat but can't quite tamp down the flee in time) like early Superman.

[pameladean]

That's got to be alarming if you aren't used to it -- great photos.

For some years we would get mixed flocks of robins and flickers, and the robins would all do that -- we have some large anthills in our yard -- and then the flickers would come in and eat the ants. But for some time now the flickers have not come around, or have just come in ones and twos on their own.

P.

[asenathwaite]

Thank you! We have both robins and flickers, but I've never seen them flocking together.

[pameladean]

I tried to research the phenomenon, but there was nothing. Flickers basically just don't flock at all as a rule. I entertained wild speculations about whether these particular ones had been adopted by robins, but if anything, they were probably either just hanging out in the same place because of the ants, or they noticed that the robins would stir the ants up and cause them to be easier to grab and eat.

P.

[minoanmiss]

The other day I saw a pigeon doing that flail-in-the-dirt and I was worried for 15 seconds until I realized what it was up to.

[leecetheartist]

Then look at Australian robins - different again!