Eurasian Robin—A Christmas Symbol

Britain’s National Bird Brings Colour and Song Even in Winter

Dec 8, 2008

Robin Redbreast frequents gardens, hedges, and woods in England, Continental Europe, and Asia all round the year and has long been associated with winter and Christmas.

According to the British Trust for Ornithology, Eurasian Robins, Erithacus rubecula, became a Christmas symbol because they looked like letter carriers… or letter carriers looked like them. The birds had been called redbreasts for hundreds of years before British postmen started wearing red coats in the mid-1800s and earned the same nickname. Christmas card depictions of robins delivering letters cemented the association and a Christmas bird was born.

There may have been a Christmas connection much longer than this, however, and in different parts of the world: in 1923 Earnest Ingersoll wrote that Northern Europeans looked for the robin at Christmas because it stayed through the winter, and that “in Southern Germany the custom is to put grain on a roof for the redbreasts, who come trustfully about houses at that season” (p. 117).

Facts About the Eurasian Robin

The Eurasian Robin is, perhaps, best known as the familiar but unofficial national bird of Britian. The birds are common, foraging and nesting in woods, parks, and gardens. They eat worms, grubs, and insects, and rely more heavily on seeds in winter. A robin can often be seen watching for food to be turned up when a gardener is at work, and may even perch on the spade.

Robins sing at all times of year from early dawn to late dusk, and may sing by the light of a streetlamp. Their constant song and red colour are both used to declare territory and warn other robins to stay away.

Eurasian Robin Breeding

Eurasian Robins pair up in early spring to breed, and individual pairs energetically defend a territory big enough to feed them and their offspring. Females build nests of leaves, moss and hair in concealed hollows at ground level. They sometimes build in surprising places like flower pots, old boots, or inside machinery.

The female lays four or five eggs that she incubates for about two weeks. Nestlings fledge in another two weeks, and soon the female prepares to nest a second time while the male takes over care of the first young. Successful pairs will raise three or even four broods in a single season.

With its bright red colour, cheery song, and tame endearing ways, it's no wonder people have noticed the Eurasian Robin and connected it with Christmas.

Eurasian Robin—A Christmas Symbol

Britain’s National Bird Brings Colour and Song Even in Winter

Facts About the Eurasian Robin

Eurasian Robin Breeding

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