May 26: Robin Walk

Have you ever watched a robin in your backyard? If you have, you've probably seen it do that little hopping thing. This evening while out on the patio we watched a couple of robins make their way through the grass; seeking out food, I suppose. It made me curious as to how a robin typically moves when not in the air. What exactly are those little legs doing as the bird dashes through the grass? Tonight, I did some research and found a little bit more about this topic. Apparently, the American robin, which I'm assuming is the breed in my backyard since I'm living in America, can walk, run and hop while on the ground. One source I found indicates "They run when there aren't any obstacles on the ground that prevent them from reaching their food, or when they are playing and running from each other. They hop when move from branch to branch, when the grass is too high to see through or sometimes they hop just because they feel like it." I also discovered that when robins cock their heads as if to listen for something in the area, they are actually watching the ground for the tiny movements that would indicate a worm is traveling close to the surface. If you're interested, you can learn a whole lot more about the American robin at this site.