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Michigan State Bird
American Robin
- Official Michigan State Bird: American Robin
- Family: Turdidae; Thrushes
- Scientific name: Turdus migratorius
- Length: 10" (25 cm)
- Diet: Insects, earthworms, snails, etc.; much fruit. Young
fed insects.
- Voice:
Listen to American Robin song and calls
(recorded by Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Song a series of low, whistled phrases with liquid
quality typical of thrushes; each phrase delivered rather quickly but
with long pauses between phrases; often 2 or 3 phrases alternately
repeated over and over plurrri, liwi, plurrri, kliwi....Call
varies from a low mellow pup or a sharp, clucking, often
doubled piik to a sharper, rapid, urgent series kli
quiquiquiqui koo; also a lower, softer puk puk puk and
a harsh, high, descending shheerr. Flight call al very high,
trilled, descending srreel; often combined with other calls
such as a srreel puk puk puk. Alarm like other thrushes:
a very high, thing tseew or shorter seew.
- Habitat: Cities, towns, farmland, lawns, shade
trees, forests.
- Displays: Courting groups of males chase female,
or male struts around female with tail spread, wings shaking, throat
inflated.
- Number of broods: 2, occasionally 3.
- Nest: In trees 10-20' above ground; also
buildings, other structures offering sufficient support, shrubs,
occasionally on ground; unkempt foundation of protruding twigs and
grass, cup of mud, lined with fine grass.
- Eggs: Averages 4 pale blue, occasionally white,
usually unmarked, sometimes flecked with brown. 1.1" (28 mm).
- Incubation period: 12-14 days
- Fledge: 14-16 days after hatching
- Longevity Record: 13 Years and 11 months (according to USGS
Bird Banding Lab)
In 1931, the American Robin was chosen the Michigan State Bird. It had been
favored by the Michigan Audubon Society. Sponsors called the robin "the best
known and best-loved of all the birds in the State of Michigan."
The American Robin is the State Bird of two other States besides Michigan:
Go
to
Connecticut
State Bird or
Wisconsin
State Bird.
American Robins can be attracted to nest in man-made nest platforms.
Go to
robin and phoebe
bird house plans for free plans.
Michigan State Bird Books
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