European Robin

Erithacus rubecula

Aggressively territorial despite the cute press. The Christmas-card courier will fight to the death over a hedge.

Population: Very large; roughly in the hundreds of millions of mature individuals across its range, with an overall increasing global population trend per IUCN/BirdLife assessment (though some regional populations are stable or fluctuate)
Habitat: Woodland edges, hedgerows, parks, and gardens; in continental Europe often shyer forest-interior birds (e.g. spruce/mixed forest), while in Britain and Ireland it is a familiar, tame garden bird
Fun fact: Despite its beloved, tame reputation in British gardens, the European Robin is fiercely territorial — males will attack other males (and even their own reflection) on sight, with territorial disputes accounting for up to roughly 10% of adult deaths in some populations.
Range: Most of Europe east to Western Siberia, the Caucasus and northern Iran, south to North Africa (including Algeria); also the Atlantic islands (Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands); vagrant as far as Iceland; northern/eastern populations migrate south for winter while western/southern populations are largely resident
Diet: Omnivorous; mainly ground-foraged invertebrates such as earthworms, beetles, and spiders, supplemented seasonally with berries, fruit, and seeds; opportunistically takes small vertebrates and carrion
Size: 0.14 m
Wingspan: 0.21 m
Lifespan: 19 years

More Songbirds