American Robins are everywhere. They’re running and suddenly standing tall on lawns and in fields; posing on fence posts; scuttling along low in seaweed along the coast, and perching in the woods, where their beautiful songs are often the last to be heard at dusk. The beauty of their songs is not surprising; they are, after all, members of the historic Thrush family, which is noted for its musicians.
Our Robin was named after the European Robin, which is a similarly-colored, but different-looking Flycatcher. That foreign bird, in turn, was given a human name in England during the 1400s, when there was a lot of anthropomorphism going on. That bird was named Robin Redbreast, “Robin” being a diminutive for “Robert,” as in Robin Hood.
Although one of the most loved birds In the United States, the American Robin (along with the Passenger Pigeon) was among the birds most hunted due to its abundance and tender meat. The Robin somehow survived the carnage and is now protected. (Brooklin, Maine)