European robin

Description

The European robin is roundish in shape with long, thin legs. The orange-red throat, forehead and forechest are easy to recognise and allow easy identification. Feet and iris are dark brown, the beak is black-grey to brown-black. There are three to four beard bristles above each corner of the beak. The size is about 13.5 to 14 cm. The wingspan is 20 to 22 cm and the body weight is usually 15 to 18 grams.

Merkmale ??

The orange-red colouration of adult birds extends from the forehead and throat to the forechest and also includes the sides of the head and neck, the patch being most pronounced on the breast. On the forehead the orange colouration is less distinct and fringed with ash-grey. The upperparts are olive-brown, but in spring it turns greyish due to wear of the outer feather fringes. The white underparts are bordered by the light olive-brown sides of the body. While the uppertail coverts are yellowish brown, the undertail coverts are cream coloured. The tail feathers are dark brown with a yellow-grey outer vane fringe. Primary and greater coverts are large with rusty brown tips. The underwing coverts are greyish white to light brown in colour.

The European robin is native to riparian forests, deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests, provided the shrub layer is not too dense and there is a rich ground fauna. It can also be found in bushes, hedges and undergrowth. It often lives in an area close to water. The European robin prefers shady and relatively humid areas to dry and hot areas. In the mountains it can be found up to 2600 m altitude. Its habitat also includes parks, cemeteries, copses and gardens.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotkehlchen). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 17 November 2021