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European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) Alternate name(s): "Robin", "Robin Redbreast" German name(s): "Rotkehlchen" Size: 12.5-14 cm; wing span 20-22 cm Body mass: 16-22 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.13-0.19

Europe: Family Group 19 Family Group 19 Table European Robin Common Redstart Black Redstart Bluethroat Whinchat European Stonechat Common Rock Thrush Blue Rock Thrush Common Nightingale Northern Wheatear Isabelline Wheatear Eastern Black-eared Wheatear Black Wheatear White-throated Dipper Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description European Robins are very small insectivore birds. They have an orange facial mask (frons, eye-rings, throat) and breast. The rest of the front (flanks, belly, undertail coverts) is light-grey. The back (crown, nape of the neck, mantle, rump and upperwings) is mid-grey; the tail is darker grey. The irises are black, the bill is dark-grey; the legs and feet are greyish-pink. Especially in winter, when puffing up their plumage against the cold, European Robins look rotund. Juveniles have the typical cryptic plumage of young robins, with spots/streaks all over. The head and upperparts have buff to brown spots on a dark-grey base. The chest is brown, with darker spots, while the belly, vent and undertail are grey to greyish brown, with some vermiculation. The flight feathers are dark-grey with buff to brown edge lining. The rump is chestnut, while the tail is brown.

Taxonomy, classification See European Robin at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the European Robin is available HERE . There are only a few accepted races of European Robins, which altogether populate all of Europe, Iceland, all of Asia Minor, parts of the north-African coastline, parts of the Middle East and all of eastern Europe to about the Black Sea and the southern coastline of the Caspian Sea. Birds from eastern Europe and most of Scandinavia migrate to the South in winter, reaching as far as parts of southern Iran and northern Oman. There are also European Robins on the Azores and the Baleares in the Atlantic and all Mediterranian islands, too. European Robins are found throughout Europe, except the most inhospitable parts of northern Scandinavia. In the Alps, all of eastern Europe and in much of Scandinavia they are breeding migrants. In the rest of Europe, except southern Spain, where they are found only as winter visitors, they are permanent residents. European Robins have a strong preference for dense vegetation, such as shrubs and undergrowth in dense forest or woodland. For foraging they will enter more open spaces, including, especially during winter, gardens.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "melophilus" J. Pires reports finding European Robins, race "melophilus", regularly in various locations in southern/central Portugal. D. Wilczynska reports finding European Robins, race "melophilus", in an urban garden in Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, e.g. in December 2015. C. Pears spotted European Robins, race "melophilus", in Glen Nevis, Fort William, western Scottish Highlands, Scotland, in September 2017. A European Robin, race "melophilus", was ringed and photographed by S. Cuturilov in Ovcarsko-Kablarski Canyon, near Cacak, Serbia, in October 2017. Another underwent the same procedure at Vlasina Lake, Serbia, in October 2019. A. Sarok reports finding the species in Vojvodina, Serbia, in the timeframe 2010-2024. M. Thomas reports spotting a European Robin, race "melophilus", in an urban garden in Eltville, Hessen Germany, in December 2017, and again in January 2019. In April/May 2020, a pair successfully raised a clutch of 3 there. H. Dahlem-Senger found the species at the same location in April 2021. M. Eaton found European Robins, race "melophilus", in both Wadebridge and Saint Minver, Cornwall, England, in September 2019. C. Pears spotted European Robins, race "melophilus", at Borrowdale, Cumberland, England, in September 2023 and again in September 2024 and September 2025. In the past we have seen European Robins, race "melophilus", regularly in the Eifel, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Race "microrhynchos" J. Pires reports finding European Robins, race "microrhynchos", on several islands of the Azores in November 2018.

Photos

Race "melophilus"

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male(?) European Robin calling from a high perch (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil, Alentejo, Portugal, January 2018]

Near-frontal view of an adult European Robin - this bird was observed issuing territorial calls from a high perch; it is probably a male (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Lateral/ventral view of a male(?) European Robin singing from a high perch (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male(?) European Robin issuing its call from a high perch (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, April 2021]

Sex unknown

Full-frontal view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Santa Justa, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, February 2021]

Close-up frontal view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Frontal view of an adult European Robin in winter; after pecking in the snow for food, some snow can be stuck to the bill
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, December 2015]

Frontal view of a European Robin issuing its call (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Borrowdale, Cumberland, England, September 2024]

Frontal view of a European Robin looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2017]

Frontal view of a European Robin looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Near-frontal view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Near-frontal view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Near-lateral view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2017]

Near-lateral view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Near-lateral view of a European Robin looking sideways (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Borrowdale, Cumberland, England, September 2024]

Lateral view of a European Robin in typical robin pose, with drooping wings (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Santa Justa, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, January 2018]

Close-up lateral view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Borrowdale, Cumberland, England, September 2024]

Lateral view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Parque Ecologico do Gameiro, Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2023]

Lateral view of a European Robin issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Close-up lateral view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Vlasina Lake, Serbia, October 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Albufeira do Azibo, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Braganca, Portugal, November 2021]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a European Robin looking backwards (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Borrowdale, Lake District, England, September 2023]

Near-dorsal view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2025]

Near-dorsal view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Dorsal view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral view of an immature European Robin; note the yellow gape - this bird was seen still being fed by its parents
(photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, May 2020]

Near-lateral view of an immature European Robin (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, May 2020]

Lateral view of an immature European Robin (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, May 2020]

Lateral view of an immature European Robin (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, May 2020]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile European Robin moulting into adult plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Borrowdale, Cumberland, England, September 2024]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile European Robin starting to moult into adult plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Borrowdale, Cumberland, England, September 2024]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a juvenile European Robin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, June 2019]

Race "microrhynchos"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Terceira Island, Azores, November 2018]

Lateral view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Terceira Island, Azores, November 2018]

Lateral view of a European Robin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sao Jorge Island, Azores, November 2018]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Partially migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary

In large parts of their range, European Robins are sedentary. However, especially in eastern and north-eastern Europe they are summer breeding migrants that move southwards to overwinter.

Food, Diet

Frontal view of a European Robin carrying food for one of its young (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, May 2020]

Frontal view of an adult European Robin in winter; after pecking in the snow for food, some snow can be stuck to the bill
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, December 2015]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

eurobin_dw_20190407.m4a	melophilus (Poland)	Territorial calls (male)	© DW
eurobin_jp_20190608.m4a	melophilus (Portugal)	Territorial calls (male)	© JP
eurobin_jp_20200422.m4a	melophilus (Portugal)	Territorial calls	© JP
eurobin_dw_20160505.m4a	melophilus (Poland)	Territorial calls (Q&A)	© DW
eurobin_jp_20190606.m4a	melophilus (Portugal)	Territorial calls (Q&A)	© JP
eurobin_jp_20200418.m4a	melophilus (Portugal)	Territorial call?	© JP

More European Robin sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.