Robin
Erithacus rubeculaJFMAMJJASOND
Sweet but melancholy. A bird singing in the depths of winter is almost always a robin.
Birds / Thrushes and chats
Robin
Erithacus rubeculaAlso known as Robin redbreast and European robin
Recording: Francesco Barberini / xeno-canto
Sounds like
Wistful, liquid phrases that jump between high and low notes, each one different, with pauses between. Sings all year, even at night under streetlights.
Remember it
Sweet but melancholy. A bird singing in the depths of winter is almost always a robin.
When and where
Listening for the robin
- Heard
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAll year round
- Time of day
- Dawn, Day, Dusk and Night
- Where
- Gardens, Woodland, Towns
- In Britain
- All year
- Family
- Thrushes and chats
Side by side
Often confused with
Play them one after the other and listen for the difference.
Blackbird
Turdus merulaJFMAMJJASOND
Unhurried and mellow, like someone whistling to themselves. Every phrase is different, with long pauses in between.
Dunnock
Prunella modularisJFMAMJJASOND
Fast and even, as if reciting a shopping list: no rises, no flourish at the end.
Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesJFMAMJJASOND
Tiny bird, enormous voice. Listen for the machine-gun trill.
Could you pick out a robin?
Hear a song, choose from four birds, and build your streak.
Same habitat
Also in gardens
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusJFMAMJJASOND
Two or three thin, high notes followed by a fast, shimmering trill: 'tsee-tsee-tsuhuhuhu'.
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsJFMAMJJASOND
A cheerful, accelerating run of notes that tumbles down and ends in a flourish, repeated over and over.
Coal Tit
Periparus aterJFMAMJJASOND
A fast, high, two-note phrase repeated several times: 'pitchoo-pitchoo-pitchoo'.
Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisJFMAMJJASOND
Bright, liquid, tinkling twitters with a 'tickelit' call, often from small flocks feeding on seed heads.