Totems: American Robin

If there is a universal sign heralding the arrival of spring across America, it is the return of the robin. The image of that rusty-red breast, famously pulling worms out of the ground has become iconic. Did you know that robins (turdus migratorius) belong to the thrush family? Despite the scientific name, not all robins migrate. Whether returning from migration or as yearly inhabitants, the adaptable robin is among the first to be seen in spring, in farmland, woods, swamps, parks, and gardens everywhere.

Though still winter, I anticipated the early spring return of robin by beginning to write of our cheery friend. The birdfeeder was positioned outside the living room window for the sheer joy of watching winter birds feed while being two feet away. As long as there is a screen or windowpane between us, the birds are content to perch and eat there. A female robin came to the feeder and perched on the edge to munch on a sunflower seed. I use high-energy bird food that has fruit in it as well as seeds and nuts. Robins like fruit, especially in winter when favored worms, insects and wild fruit are scarce. What’s a robin doing in Massachusetts in winter, you may ask? Well, except for an untimely blizzard at the end of October, the first part of winter was unusually mild. Robins may not migrate if there is enough food available to get them through the winter, though even if they don’t migrate, some birds, including robins have a biological response to the amount of light, and an internal biological clock that gets restless when migration should be happening.

Robins are known for their trilling songs: cheerily, cheer-up, cheerio; or expressive calls: tut-tut or piik-piik. Between their calls and songs, they provide great listening from dawn to sunset. On long road trips with my baby daughter, I would pull out every song I knew to keep her entertained and occupied. One of these went like this: "When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along; There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts throbbin’ his old sweet song; Wake up, wake up you sleepy head; Get up, get out of bed; Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red; Live, laugh, love and be happy." Then there was also the 1958 hit, Rockin’ Robin, later covered in 1972 by Michael Jackson.

Both songs encapsulate robin’s medicine. Robin’s song and color signify cheer, infusing new life and starting over. People with robin as a totem usually have a fresh, vibrant look, often with sweet singing voices with a bit of vibrato. But don’t let that sweet voice fool you. Robins (and folks with this totem) have a bold side too. As any gardener will tell you: dig a hole and soon a robin, impervious to your presence, will be claiming a morsel, worm or bug. In Europe robins are small, but in North America they are 10-11 inches. In his book, Wild Animals Around Your Home, Paul Villiard recounts his experience of watching two adult robins taking turns attacking a 6-foot long rat snake on a lower limb of the tree holding their nest with several chicks. Both male and female were relentless in dive-bombing the threat to their chicks, even though chicks only remain with them for two to three weeks. Even so, robin energy frequently exhibits care and devotion to the family. This passion shows itself in colors of red and orange, and the frequency of breeding. Robins will have two or three broods a season.

When I studied with The Tracker, Tom Brown Jr., he told a story about robin I never forgot. He used to like to try and sneak up (he never could) on his teacher, Stalking Wolf. One day, he saw that Stalking Wolf was intently peering into a bush by a stream. When he finally left, Tom went to the bush to see what his mentor had been staring at. All he saw was a robin. Since he couldn’t believe that something as ordinary as a robin had captured his teacher’s attention, he later asked Stalking Wolf what he had been observing. He told him it was a robin. "Just a robin?" Tom asked incredulously. Stalking Wolf’s reaction was one of the few times he ever expressed dis-appointment in his pupil. He told Tom, "Until you have seen the 14 colors in a robin’s eye, you have not yet learned to see." That one sentence humbled Tom and reminded him to look deeper.

Speaking of looking, that robin cocking his head on your lawn is not "listening" for worms. It is trying for the most acute angle of vision on that side, in order to detect movement or catch a glint off a worm. As you may have guessed, robins see in color. Robin’s message is to pay attention to what you see and hear. The beak is also significant. It must act like a hand, picking things up, catching things, hammering, chiseling, pruning, grooming, communicating, weaving nests, taking care of young, killing prey, eating, and defending. Robin’s feet are marvels of dexterity as well. They grasp, move, pin down and scratch. If you are experiencing robin energy, you are quite capable. Perhaps robin is urging you to build or make something.

Territory is nature’s way of helping birds survive by parceling out habitat into areas capable of supporting a pair in feeding and breeding. Young robins must wait for new territory to open up. As soon as one of a pair dies, another robin takes its place. If both leave the area or die, a new couple will move in. The number of pairs of robins in any given area remains largely the same. The reason that is amazing is because often in nature, other factors such as food supply and rainfall affect the population. Nature builds conditions of protection into an area. Colors and patterns camouflage. Robins can never eat all the earthworms in a lawn. However, man can so upset the natural protections and rhythms of nature that entire species can be wiped out. We learned this tragically before DDT was banned. In an effort to save Mid-west elm trees, over a half-million robins were killed by the pesticide. Currently, we have systemic pesticides spreading through food-chains and ecosystems. Runoff especially affects ponds and rivers where many food-chains begin. Think of this the next time you reach for poisonous cleaners or pesticides. A world without the song of robins would be iniquity of the highest order.