Robin

Spideog (Irish name)

Erithacus rubecula (Latin name)

Known by a number of different names including; robin redbreast, ruddock, redbreast, Bob robin, Cock robin, robinet and reddock, to name but a few, the robin is probably the most familiar and easily recognised of all our birds. Ruddock is an Old English word, meaning "red". It is believed that there are about 4 million robins in Ireland and the robin is the only Irish bird that sings continually throughout the winter.

When you hear the famous line of the song, "The red, red robin goes bob, bob, bobbing along", you will be surprised to learn that this does NOT refer to our Irish robin, but to the American Robin, which is NOT a robin at all, but a thrush. It seems that when settlers arrived in America, they decided to call the red-breasted thrush a robin, after their favourite bird back home!

Despite the impression given of the robin, they are in fact extremely aggressive and territorial. Looking at a group of robins perching happily together on a holly branch on a Christmas card, nothing could be further from the truth. They would tear each other to pieces!

The fate of the robin is told in many poems and writings, with "An Elegy on the Death and Burial of Cock Robin" being the best known:

Who killed Cock Robin?
I said the Sparrow,
With my bow and arrow,
I killed Cock Robin

It is also considered very unlucky to harm or kill a robin. An old Cornish saying goes as follows:

Hunt a robin or a wran,
Never prosper, boy or man.

The robin and the wren are also closely associated in the old rhyme:

The robin redbreast and the wren
Are God Almighty’s cock and hen.

It was always considered bad to harm a robin and that no good would come of it. Romanies believe that harming a robin will result in a crooked finger while in many regions of England and Scotland it was believed that the cow belonging to a family that killed a robin would in future, produce bloody milk.

Stealing robin’s eggs was at least as sinful as harming the bird itself. Children in Dorset, England, for instance, were told that interfering with a robin’s nest would cause their fingers to grow crooked!

Robins entering a house have always been thought of as a sign of forthcoming death, while robins are long associated with religious buildings which, if nothing else, helps to cement its image as the most churchgoing of our birds. Early Church writers attempted to incorporate the robin directly into the Christian story by suggesting that it had acquired its red breast by tugging at the thorns in Jesus’s brow. Another belief was that the robin’s distinctive red colouring was due to the fact that it had a drop of God’s blood in it’s veins.

In the southeast of Ireland, a robin entering a house implied impending frost and not death.

The robin is also very much associated with Christmas. One reason may have to do with the robin’s winter song. Robins first appeared on Christmas cards in the 1860’s, when cards were first commercially produced and sent in the post. The bright red colour of the robin and also of the Victorian postman’s uniform led to the postmen of the day being given the nickname of "Robin".

Keeping robins in cages is thought to bring bad luck and for this reason, robins have seldom been kept even though there was a tradition in years gone by to keep almost any type of bird that could sing. William Blake in "Augeries of Innocence" wrote:

A Robin Redbreast in a Cage
Puts all Heaven in a Rage.

Robins are one of our friendliest birds and can be encouraged to come close to humans. During the cold winter leave out some food and watch for him (or her) to arrive in the garden. Gradually it will gain your trust and come closer. If you are very lucky, you may be able to entice it to take food from your hand.

QUESTIONS:
1. What is the Irish name for the Robin?

2. Mention 2 other names that is used to describe the robin.

3. How many robins are there in Ireland?

4. To what animal does the following line of the song refer:
"The red, red robin goes bob, bob, bobbing along"?

5. How did the Robin get it’s red breast?

6. Old Victorian postmen were known by what nickname?

7. Who killed Cock Robin?

8. Complete the following rhyme:
"A robin Redbreast in a Cage"

9. When did robins first appear on Christmas cards?

10. Why was it considered bad to see a robin entering a house?

 

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