Welcome to a new instalment from voice for wildlife. Today we will be admiring the Robin - voted the nations favourite bird, with its bright red breast that is a welcome flash of colour against our frost coated gardens.
The Robins sharp and overpowering but somewhat endearing call is one of the most easily recognisable and characteristic that echoes through our gardens. But why do they do it? A superstition is that when a Robin sings in the open it symbolises that good weather is on its way, but when it cowers under shelter it means that bad weather is ahead. This is partly true as when the weather is bright, insects (the robins popular food source) become more active and the Robins gain more energy to below out their song. However in bad weather, like all birds, Robins may duck for cover but they will continue to sing until there energy runs out. The True reason Robins sing there enchanting but viciously high pitched song is to protect there territory and keep intruders away. Around six of these birds territories would fit onto an average-sized football pitch while in winter this reduces by half. This means one Robin's territory can cover a whole street therefore we all have our own individual Robin that we can learn to recognise. The RSPB released figures showing that there are 6,700,000 territories in the UK all singing a unique song that is just another tone in the cacophony of British birdsong.They will also sing at night next to street lights (maybe because they want to add an extra piece of Christmas cheer to the festive seasoson)
We all characterise the humble Robin with its bright, bold, cherry - red breast but why is it even there? An old wives tail is that a Robin attempted to remove the crown of thorns from the head of Jesus but, in doing so, some holy blood dripped onto the birds breast and stained it for eternity. Another is that a Robin flew through the depths of hell carrying water to the sinners that where condemned there forever, but it's breast was burnt red by the flames. The actual reason that they possess this unique feature is so they can attract a mate. Both males and females have red breasts all year round but this seems to stand out much more against the crisp white snow. Juveniles don't have that characteristic and they are all brown as they do not need to attract a partner. Having a bright ruby red target on your chest isn't the best camouflage to hide from predators such as sparrow-Hawks and kestrels, but this actually works in natures favour. The weaker birds that wouldn't be able to contend against the brighter chested, stronger males perish. This means that only the best genes get past down through generations.
So next time you see a Robin springing through your garden, or singing a sweet tune from a tree, stop and think about how much that little bird has been through throughout the year.
Thank You for reading and stay tuned for the next instalment where we will be exploring the badger.