[TN-Bird] robins, European style
- From: Thais Carr <thaiscarr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2011 17:30:02 -0600
I thought you all might enjoy this article from the Daily Scotsman. I'll never
look at our robins the same way. Peace on earth, good will to other robins??
Thais Carr, Thompsons Station
Robins may be festive, but they're the bad boys of bird world
Published Date: 23 December 2010
By Jane Bradley
ROBINS are as festive as Santa and grace as many Christmas cards as baubles and
bells, but beneath their jolly red breasts lurks an aggressive and murderous
intent.
�� Robins aren't exactly full of peace and goodwill towards each other -
just the opposite, in fact��For experts have discovered the festive
songbirds think nothing of bumping off their rivals to ensure they can get
their beaks into enough food to survive.�� Footprints in the snow at a
Scottish nature reserve alerted conservation workers to the robins' criminal
underworld when clusters of feathers from one bird were found surrounded by
tracks made by another.��Experts believe about one in ten robins is
brutally murdered by another bird of the same species, as both males and
females become embroiled in vicious battles over territory and food.��Other
prints found in the snow in Fife gave workers clues to numerous other scuffles,
where one bird which dared to venture on to another's feeding ground had been
attacked and seen off by the incumbent.��
"Traditional images of peaceful robins adorn our Christmas cards at this time
of year, but this harmless looking bird is actually a territorial terror," said
Tom Cunningham, reserve manager for Scottish Natural Heritage at Tentsmuir
National Nature Reserve.��"As well as defending territory during mating,
they will often fight other robins, sometimes to the death, over scarce food
resources in winter."��Mr Cunningham believes the birds' most recent scraps
have been sparked by hunger - as their usual food sources are buried beneath
the heavy snow that has swept Scotland.��"A lot of birds and animals are
starving this winter," he said. "It's not surprising that they're fighting each
other for what they can get - it's survival of the fittest at the moment. They
really are territorial creatures."��
But Louise Smith, of RSPB Scotland, claimed the birds were using the food
shortages as an excuse to start a brawl. "Many people will be surprised to
learn that this sort of behaviour is fairly common for robins," she said.
â?¨"Perhaps the lack of food around at the moment aggravates this behaviour,
but the fact is that robins don't need this excuse to start brawling and it's
possible that, even without the bad weather, we'd still be hearing similar
stories."��She added that both male and female birds regularly got involved
in violent fights over territory. "Robins are aggressively territorial - in
fact, they are possibly the most territorial bird in the UK - and they don't
just defend territories in the breeding season, like most other birds," Ms
Smith said. ��"Nor is it just the males that do this. Their famous plumage
is what triggers this aggressive behaviour, with the sight of another
red-breasted intruder enough to start a serious fight between the two birds.â?¨
Mostly, the loser quickly flees and both birds go about their normal business
again, but it is believed that about 10 per cent of robins die at the hands -
or rather beaks - of another robin." A robin can use up to 10 per cent of its
body weight during one winter night, and unless it can find enough food daily
to replenish these reserves, it will die.
l The birds are thought to have become associated with the festive period after
Victorian postmen who delivered the first Christmas cards were dubbed "robins"
due to their red tunics.
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