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Birding/bizarre behaviour by robin

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Expert: - 8/31/2007


Question
31 August 2007: Hi Roger, We have a robin which is hanging around our bird feeding station (and especially the water bowl) and making an irritated 'pit-pit' call all day. It goes crazy when any other of the birds tries to drink or bathe and chases them away. It seems particularly agressive towards the dunnocks (as timid as they are!) and of course the great tits are loving it, as they spend the day teasing the robin, trying to provoke his ire. Great fun to watch, but as we've never seen this before, we wondered if you have any idea about this little bird's behaviour? It may be explicable in Spring, but we are of course heading into Autumn now!

Thanks, Pierre and Yvonne.

Answer
Well, it is simply a form of territoritality. The Robin is trying to defend its food source. Yes, usually birds defend breeding territories in the spring, but in the fall and winter it is not unsual for some species of birds to defend feeding territories.

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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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