Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1?
The answer to last week’s mystery is the American robin, Turdus migratorius, pictured in photo #2.
The American robin, Turdus migratorius, is one of the most familiar birds in North America. Despite their association with Spring, many robins remain in their breeding range all Winter. During the colder months, their diet shifts from insects to fruit, and they roam widely in search of berry-rich trees and shrubs.
In Spring and Summer, robins hop and run across lawns, cocking their heads to listen for earthworms before pulling them from the soil. They also eat caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, and other insects, and will even catch prey in midair. Because they forage heavily on lawns, robins are especially vulnerable to pesticide exposure, making them important indicators of chemical pollution in the environment.
By Fall and Winter, fruit takes center stage. Robins feed on holly, juniper, dogwood, sumac, elderberry, crabapple, and Virginia creeper, sometimes forming large, nomadic flocks to locate abundant food sources. They may gather by the dozens, sometimes accompanied by cedar waxwings, to binge on holly berries, moving between feeding and nearby perches to digest. A single tree can be stripped clean in hours or days, a vivid reminder of how essential Winter fruit is to sustaining wildlife through the lean months.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
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