Last night on Mooney Goes Wild we're joined in studio by zoologist and ornithologist, Dr. Richard Collins and marine biologist, Ken Whelan. Ken recalls beginning his career as a marine biologist in Ireland, his time spent in lecture halls and on canals, rivers, and lakes. Ken also talks about his long-standing love for the River Unshin in County Sligo.
The Robin is a very common year-round bird in gardens, parks, and woodlands all over the country and as many a four million breeding individuals are estimated to live in Ireland.
Easily identified both by its distinguished red breast and on account of its unusual tameness, the Robin is always one of the first birds to visit bird tables and feeders. Contrary to what is sometimes thought, the sexes are indistinguishable from each other in the field, and unusually for an Irish bird both the male and the female sing and defend territory.
At 14cm in length, the Robin is about the same size as a House Sparrow, though because of its habit of fluffing up its feathers, particularly in cold weather, it often looks significantly plumper. The back and wings are a uniform brown colour, and the underparts are white, save of course for the red breast and face. Look out also for the narrow band of blue-grey that separates the red from the brown on the forehead, neck, and shoulders.
For the first couple of months of their lives young Robins look quite different from their parents: when they first leave the nest they are the same size and shape, but are much more speckled overall, resembling a miniature thrush, and completely lack any traces of red.
Robins enjoy a wide and varied diet, eating worms, insects, spiders, small seeds, berries and even, occasionally, carrion. Highly territorial birds, even during the winter, their "cute and cuddly" reputation belies their sometimes very aggressive nature: on occasion rival Robins involved in territorial disputes will even fight to the death.
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