264 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



*761. Merula MiGRATORiA (Linn.). American Robin. 



Turdus migratorius. Robin. Robin Redbreast. 



Geog. Dist. — Eastern North America from eastern Mexico to 

 Alaska; west to the Rocky Mountains where it runs into the 

 western subspecies propinqua. Breeds from Virginia and 

 Arkansas northward to the Arctic coast; winters from southern 

 New England, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, central 

 Missouri and southeastern Nebraska southward to the Gulf; 

 in mild winters some have wintered as far north as South Dakota, 

 Minnesota, Michigan and southern Ontario. 



In Missouri the Robin is an abundant migrant and a very 

 common summer resident in all parts of the state, south as well 

 as north, wherever there are farms, towns and cities, which it 

 now prefers to the wilds during nesting time, but retreating to 

 them in faU and winter. Some spend the whole winter, 

 even severe winters, in the lower Missouri River valley and along 

 the Mississippi River from the Illinois River southward, but the 

 largest number is found in the swamps of the southeast, where 

 many more would remain if they were not constantly disturbed 

 by the host of duck hunters who repair to those regions. When 

 the weather shows the first signs of awakening spring, sometimes 

 at the end of January, oftener about the middle of February, 

 the first troops of north-bound Robins appear in central, and a 

 week or two later, in northern Missouri. Early in March the 

 first males begin to sing in their old haunts, are soon joined by 

 their mates, and bravely endure weeks of cold weather with ice, 

 sleet and snow or chilling rains and high winds. Large flocks of 

 transient Robins are also with us during the entire month of 

 March and to the latter part of April, when in some years the 

 young of our own birds are almost able to leave the nest (First 

 egg, April 5, 1903, Montgomery City, Parker; young leave nest 

 May 1, 1886, Fayette, Kilpatrick). When the last broods are 

 able to fly well, about the first of August, Robins form small 

 family troops, several of which join to spend the nights together 

 in a common roost. W^hen migration time comes in October 

 larger roosts are formed, in which manj^ thousands spend the 

 nights together like Blackbirds in the high grasses of the marshes 

 (A Winter Robin Roost in Missouri, by 0. Widmann, Auk, 

 vol. 12, 1895, page 1). By the first of November the bulk of 

 transient Robins has left north and central Missouri, but many 

 linger in the bottoms of our large rivers to the middle and often 

 to the end of the month, even in northern portions of the state. 



