I thought I knew about Robins, a very common North American bird.

I was wrong!
American RobinAfter a little research I found I have been wrong about a number of facts:

  1. The American Robin is not a true robin at all, it is a Thrush. Early settlers mistakenly identified because it resembled the English Robin.
  2. “The American Robin has an extendable esophagus, or canal between the mouth and the stomach.” according to Hinterland Who’s Who, “This can be useful in winter, for example, when the bird may store fruits in the esophagus before it settles for the night. This probably allows the robin to survive low nighttime temperatures.”
  3. I have always associated the robin with earthworms. “The early Bird gets the worm”. Actually earthworms, beetles, and caterpillars provide about 40 percent of its diet, the robin is chiefly a fruit-eating species.

One fact that is repeated from book to book to website and back is the number of eggs at one time in a nest. They all say 3-4, occasionally 5 … so please explain this!  The photo was taken late May last year… a very Prolific Robin indeed.

Robins Nest June 2
Is there room for another egg?
Robins nest May 31
At least 10 eggs in the nest

These photos were taken 2 days apart.