The European robin is Britain’s national bird. Robins are a member of the thrush family, so they are related to the nightingale and the blackbird.

Not just at Christmas

Robins can be found almost everywhere throughout the UK and seen all year round, not only at Christmas! They are extremely territorial birds, especially towards their own kind; however, they are not shy. If you find yourself digging in your garden, you’ll often spot a robin watching you, waiting to hop in and snap up any worms in the turned-up soil.

The robin’s nest

Robins are famous for nesting pretty much anywhere. They prefer to settle near ground level in tree hollows, climbing plants, piles of logs and tree roots. Some of the more un-usual but popular nesting sites for these birds are flowerpots, shoes and boots, post boxes and even clothes pockets.

The females build the nests using grass, dead leaves, moss and hair. Robins usually lay 4-6 eggs per clutch and the incubation period lasts about 13 days. When the chicks hatch, they are entirely dependant on their parents for food and warmth as they have no feathers or fluff at all.

Quills will start to appear around day three, and they usually have all their feathers by day 14. Juvenile robins have a brown breast rather than red; which will later come through after their first moult.

Robins have two broods a year. If the winter is mild, then they can have up to four clutches as they will start breeding in January instead of March.

What you can to do help

You can help encourage robins to nest near your home in a few easy steps.

• Leave natural fibres and hair in your garden. When removing the hair from your hairbrush, you could pop it outside for robins to weave into their nest to keep their young warm. Place it in an easy to spot area such as a hanging basket, in amongst trees and bushes, or log piles.

• You can put a nesting box in your garden to encourage robins to nest there – ensure it has an open front, as they tend not to use boxes with a small circular hole. Be sure to place it somewhere discreet and well-hidden where they won't be disturbed.

• All birds and other species need to have access to food throughout the winter, especially when food is scarce, so placing a few bird feeders about and some water is always a good idea. A robin’s favourite foods are mealworms and fruit, so you could put out some raisins, cranberries or chopped apple as a well needed nutritional boost during the winter.