26th December
There’s only 364 days to go until Christmas so I thought I’d get into the holiday spirit in early and pick a festive species for my last but two post. This is THE festive bird.
Robin Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758)
It’s a robin. Who doesn’t know what a robin looks like. However our Eurasian Robins do look different to American Robins who are actually closely related to the UK blackbirds and thrushes. The really shouldn’t be called ‘redbreasts’ at all as a nickname as their breasts are definitely orange. However, the colour orange is a relatively recent invention (it’s true, orange was originally just a shade of red like burgundy or crimson, some people have ‘red’ hair but in reality they are ‘ginger’ or orange-haired), but the redbreast moniker still persists. Robin’s are a ubiquitous symbol of Xmas in the UK and I swear every other Christmas card in the house contains a robin on it somewhere. They sing all year round as they keep their territory’s throughout the year so are therefore angry at all times. You really wouldn’t want to translate their songs into English!
Advent species so far…
- 1st: Goosander Mergus merganser
- 2nd: December Moth Poecilocampa populi
- 3rd: Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum
- 4th Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
- 5th Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus
- 6th Loricera pilicornis
- 7th Great Tit Parus major
- 8th Tipula paludosa
- 9th Redwing Turdus iliacus
- 10th Bank Vole Myodes glareolus
- 11th Tawny Owl Strix aluco
- 12th Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
- 13th Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
- 14th Nebria brevicollis
- 15th Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana
- 16th —–
- 17th Bacchus elongata
- 18th Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus
- 19th Red Deer Cervus elaphus
- 20th Jay Garrulus glandarius
- 21st —-
- 22nd —-
- 23rd Winter Gnat Trichocera annulata
- 24th Peregrine Falco peregrinus
- 25th —-
- 26th Robin Erithacus rubecula
A Species a Day 