Few birds are as common in the United States as the American Robin. The harbinger of spring is a singingbird that eats insects, hops on the ground, and sings in the morning. Because of their similar colors and shape, however, it’s easy to mistake other birds for it. Seven birds in North America that resemble robins are discussed in this article.
7 BIRDS SIMILAR TO ROBINS
First, let’s learn a little about the American Robin, the main character of this article.
AMERICAN ROBIN
Scientific name: Turdus migratorius
A thrush, the American Robin is a large songbird that arrives in the early spring. It primarily eats soft invertebrates like worms and grubs, and it eats insects. In the lower 48 states of America, they may be found.
You maybe have the opportunity to observe a mated pair nesting nearby if you live in an area with significant foliage growth. A little nest woven into the inside of a shrub or tree fork is where the female normally lays 3-4 bright blue eggs.
1. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH
Scientific name: Sitta canadensis
The color of both the American Robin and the Red-breasted Nuthatch is similar. The breast is crimson, and the back is gray. Despite this, there are only a few points of resemblance.
Compared to a robin, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is much smaller. In addition, instead of being a robin, it has a black beak and is striped white and black. Unlike the Robin, this bird prefers to move through the trees rather than on the ground. In fact, as they explore the forest understory, they frequently cling to tree trunks and hand upside down!
Between the lower 48 and Alaska, look for Red-breasted Nuthatches. They’re the only birds that can climb down a tree headfirst.
2. VARIED THRUSH
Scientific name: Ixoreus naevius
In terms of size and form, the Varied Thrush resembles the American Robin. They are both trush family members, in reality. It, too, has a dark head and upper body with an orange belly. It may look like a robin from afar.
The Varied Thrush, on the other hand, has a black necklace around its chest, an orange stripe over one eye, and orange wingbars.
Varied Thrushes are ground feeders, much like American Robins. Varied Thrushes, on the other hand, prefer chitinous exoskeletons in their invertebrates of choice, such as grasshoppers and beetles.
The Varied Thrush has a distinct range from the American Robin. The Pacific Coast coniferous forests are home to the majority of the population. During the summer, they migrate to Canada and Alaska after wintering in California.
3. EASTERN TOWHEE
Scientific name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
The male Eastern Towhee has a coloration that is comparable to the American Robin. They don’t go all the way across their rufous sides, which are comparable to the robin’s belly. In addition to their red eye, black beak, and the fact that the black on their head extends down onto their chest, their white belly is a good clue to telling them apart.
The eastern Towhees live in scrubby environments between open woodlands and agricultural fields throughout the eastern United States. They do well in suburban settings and use shrubbery to conceal and breed in.
For food, they eat seeds, insects, and berries in the undergrowth. Sprinkle birdseed around the edge of your shrubbery to entice them to your yard. They, like robins, prefer to go foraged on the ground.
4. ORCHARD ORIOLE
Scientific name: Icteris spurius
The black head and back of the Orchard Oriole are much darker than the robin’s gray, and it has a similar color scheme to American Robins. It lacks the robin’s golden yellow beak.
Only the male Orchard Oriole is orange and black, unlike American Robins, where both males and females are orange and black. Yellow-green wings with a dark gray border.
During the breeding season in the east and midwestern United States, look for an Orchard Oriole. Like robins, they won’t spend time on the ground. Instead of hearing them foraging for bugs, you’ll hear them in the trees.
5. HERMIT THRUSH
Scientific name: Catharus guttatus
The American Robin and the Hermit Thrush are both members of the thrush family, so they’re related. The bigger size, rounded breast, and tendency to sing intricate and beautiful songs are all characteristics of this group of birds.
They may be confused with a juvenile robin during its maturing molt. The orange in the breast of young robins is faint, and the breasts of young robins are covered with patches like those seen on the Hermit Thrush.
Robins prefer to feed in open areas, while the Hermit Thrush searches for insects on the ground amid leaf trash in woodlands.
Northern United States and Canada are where you’ll find them. The Rocky Mountains and the Northeast are their preferred regions.
6. AMERICAN REDSTART
Scientific name: Setophaga ruticilla
The dark back and head of American Redstarts are comparable to those of American Robins, while the side has an orange streak. Nonetheless, once you look at it more closely, there are some obvious differences.
The Redstart’s orange is extremely bright, while robins have more of a ruddy, brick orange. Their chest is covered with black head feathers that give way to a white belly. Their side, wing, and tail are all streaky with orange. While these insect-eaters flitter about the foliage in search of prey, they are very active.
From southwestern Canada to the northern Midwest and eastern half of the United States, look for an American Redstart in a diagonal stripe. They usually migrate south after the breeding season, passing through the Southwest and Mexico on their way to Central and South America.
The American Redstart isn’t a frequent feeder like the American Robin. Fruiting trees and berry bushes, on the other hand, may attract them. You’re more likely to see them if these tree species are present in your backyard, since they nest in maple and birch trees.
7. SPOTTED TOWHEE
Scientific name: Pipilo maculatus
The Spotted Towhee, like the Eastern Towhee, is frequently mistaken for an American Robin. Both birds are of the same size and have the same look. The male Spotted Towhee, on the other hand, seems to be robin-like. A dark gray-brown color characterizes the female towhee.
They eat crunchier insects, such as grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles, like robins do. They’ll collect acorns at the foot of oak trees during the winter. Sprinkling birdseed around feeders in your yard might entice them to visit.
The western United States is home to Spotted Towhees. These fish live all year on the Pacific Coast and Rocky Mountains. Idaho and Montana are home to one population of bears.