How to Attract Robins to Your Yard
Robins are familiar lawn birds, but they rarely visit seed feeders. They eat worms, insects and fruit. Water, a few berries and a good lawn are what bring them in.
What robins eat
In spring and summer, robins eat earthworms and insects from lawns. In fall and winter they switch mostly to berries and fruit.
You can offer mealworms, chopped apples, berries or raisins softened in water on a platform feeder.
The way to a bluebird's heart. Dried mealworms also bring in wrens, robins and chickadees, especially in spring when they're feeding young.
Check price on Amazon for Kaytee Wild Bird Dried Mealworms (opens Amazon)An open tray feeder that welcomes the widest range of birds, including cardinals, doves, jays and juncos that prefer to feed in the open.
Check price on Amazon for Woodlink Platform Feeder (opens Amazon)Water is the biggest draw
A bird bath attracts robins more reliably than food. They drink and bathe often. In winter, a heated bath can bring in whole flocks.
Open water in winter brings in birds that never visit seed feeders, like robins and bluebirds. This bath has a built-in thermostat, so it only heats when the water is close to freezing.
Check price on Amazon for API Heated Bird Bath with Stand (opens Amazon)Birds notice moving water from far away. This floating solar pump turns any bird bath into a small fountain in spring and summer, with no wiring.
Check price on Amazon for AISITIN Solar Fountain Pump (opens Amazon)Plant fruit
Native trees and shrubs with fruit, such as serviceberry, dogwood, crabapple, holly and juniper, feed robins through fall and winter.
Nesting
Robins build mud-lined cup nests in trees, shrubs and on ledges under eaves. A simple open nesting shelf under an overhang can attract a pair.
Frequently asked questions
Are robins really a sign of spring?
Not exactly. Many robins stay all winter but move in flocks to woods, eating berries, so we just notice them less.
Will robins eat from a bird feeder?
Rarely from seed feeders. They will eat fruit and mealworms from a platform.
Why is a robin attacking my window?
In spring, male robins sometimes fight their reflection, thinking it's a rival. Covering the outside of the window for a few weeks helps.
Not sure which feeder fits your yard?
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