European robin

Erithacus rubecula Today, 3 October

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

now going about the year 171 days

going about the year Bird here all year

The whole year

3 October – 23 March

the coastal calendar, shifted 32 days later for this region

Sitting the year outGetting readyYoung aboutYoung leaving

Where to look

Shaded woodland floor and garden edges; on the coast, most obvious in winter.

Worth knowing

Robins hold winter territories individually — the autumn song is females and males both, defending feeding ground against each other. The coastal winter population is largely birds from further north, not the ones that bred here.

Look it up

photos, sightings and recordings, off this site

iNaturalist — photos and where people are seeing it Wikipedia — Erithacus rubecula xeno-canto — recordings of the call

Regions

where this species is on the list

Dalmatian coastKvarner and IstriaVelebit and the DinaridesSlavonia and the Pannonian plainTukhlia, Ukrainian Carpathians

Phase by phase

dates as they fall in the region chosen above

Phase	When	Length	What it means
courting	24 March – 20 April	28 days	Song, display, fighting, scent-marking — pairs forming or reaffirming.
building	21 April – 6 May	16 days	Nest, burrow or den under construction, or being lined out.
on eggs	7 May – 26 May	20 days	Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun.
raising young	27 May – 15 June	20 days	Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed.
young have left	16 June – 10 August	56 days	Young out of the nest or den, but still fed and followed by the adults.
moulting	11 August – 2 October	53 days	Feathers or coat replaced. Many birds go quiet and hide while it happens.
going about the year	3 October – 23 March	172 days	Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out.

Other birds in this region

Barn swallowBlack storkCommon cuckooCommon ravenCommon swiftGreat spotted woodpeckerGreat titTawny owlWhite stork

← All species