The cold wind blows and we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?
He’ll sit in the barn to keep himself warm,
And hide from Bill Oddie, poor thing.

Quite different from American robins in shape and size, the European robin is short and plump, and is a bird often associated with the colder months of winter. In the UK, they are sometimes depicted on Christmas cards, their red breasts contrasting the white snow. I stress that they are different “in shape and size” from American robins, as in my experience, they can be rather aggressive to other garden birds. As a pup, I’d watch garden birds picking at seeds from an indent in my parents’ stone garden wall, and robins would often bully thrushes, tits, finches, and sparrows out of the way to get at the seeds.

Hope you enjoy!