Turdus is the Wordus

The day of this email's release falls on World Migratory Bird Day, and we're delighted to bring you yet another of our feathered friends in our series of bird related newsletters. Just like deciduous azaleas, not much needs to be said about the American robin - herald of springtime, eater of earthworms, overseer of blue eggs. American robins can be found throughout North America, from Alaska to Texas, seemingly appearing in large numbers at the very break of winter's grasp. While robins in Alaska and Canada are known to migrate south for periods of time when extreme winter weather is expected, robins as far north as New York and Michigan are known to only travel limited distances (<100 miles) southward – if they go anywhere at all. Despite their considerably short migration range in comparison to other migrating bird species, this thrush family member is somewhat ironically named Turdus migratorius, suggesting a much lengthier commute than they usually commit to.

Although robins have a preference for insects and will travel if necessary to find them, especially in more northern climates, non-migratory robins have adapted to small fruits and berries of shrubs and trees in fall and winter. Should both of these resources be available at the same time, say during the growing season, American robins have a pretty specific dietary schedule: worms in the morning, fruits in the afternoons and early evenings.
Spend some time on the edge of an open woodland where grasses are a little sparser, but taller - more meadowlike. You’ll find American robins busily darting in and out of the tall grasses, even swandiving from casually long distances to retrieve their prey. According to a study from 1980, while American robins have benefited from the expansion and maintenance of suburban lawns, effectively making their hunting activities easier, it was actually found that environments with taller, less dense grasses (dense in the sense of a literal carpet of Kentucky bluegrass) encouraged a higher rate of attacks towards prey than short grass environments.
Like people, robins take advantage of easily accessible resources: mowed grass = easy insects.

Developed areas = more mowed grass = more easy insects.
Unfortunately, just like humans, a quick and accessible meal doesn’t always (or usually) equate to a healthy meal. The maintenance standards of the “ideal” American yard - a picturesque vignette devoid of anything but a blanket of carefully mowed fescue and maybe a lone hydrangea or a few boxwoods - often means artificial cosmetic remedies, i.e. pesticides. These “ideal” lawns, packed with herbicides, insecticides, you name it, are translated directly back into the food system of not only foraging American robins, but the insects they hunt as well as whatever subsequent predator may end up hunting the now pesticide-riddled bird.
It’s a pretty depressing food web, but there’s a simple way to combat it:

Don’t use pesticides on your lawns.
In fact, work towards incorporating native grasses that encourage less lazy hunting behavior in birds, while also adding structure and texture to the landscape. These same grasses are often utilized as nesting material. Who doesn’t love a triple threat?
Below is a list of native plants that are beneficial to American robins, from grasses used for nesting and hunting, to fruiting plants that support lingering winter populations.
Click to download a PDF version!