---
title: "What the sources say about the European Robin | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "50 claims from the European Robin profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/european-robin-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/european-robin/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the European Robin (*Erithacus rubecula*)

> 50 claims from the European Robin profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [European Robin](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/european-robin/)

## Xu et al. (2021). Magnetic sensitivity of cryptochrome 4 from a migratory songbird. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03618-9

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The European robin's eyes may double as an internal compass | The mechanism of this compass has been suggested to rely on the quantum spin dynamics of photoinduced radical pairs in cryptochrome flavoproteins located in the retinas of the birds (note: "double" is a verb here; "may" carries the source's "has been suggested".) |
| robin CRY4 turned out to be more magnetically sensitive than the same protein from two non-migratory birds, the chicken and the pigeon | is magnetically sensitive in vitro, and more so than CRY4 from two non-migratory bird species, chicken (Gallus gallus) and pigeon (Columba livia) |
| Mutating specific sites on the protein revealed the roles of four successive light-triggered "radical pairs" in producing that magnetic response | Site-specific mutations of ErCRY4 reveal the roles of four successive flavin-tryptophan radical pairs in generating magnetic field effects |
| A light-sensitive retinal protein called cryptochrome 4 that may let the robin sense Earth's magnetic field through quantum chemistry, a mechanism researchers are still working to confirm | The mechanism of this compass has been suggested to rely on the quantum spin dynamics of photoinduced radical pairs in cryptochrome flavoproteins located in the retinas of the birds 4-7 . Here we show that the photochemistry of cryptochrome 4 (CRY4) from the night-migratory European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is magnetically sensitive in vitro |

## Günther et al. (2018). Double-Cone Localization and Seasonal Expression Pattern Suggest a Role in Magnetoreception for European Robin Cryptochrome 4. Current Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.003

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A light-sensitive protein called cryptochrome 4 (CRY4) sits in the robin's retina | we sequenced night-migratory European robin (Erithacus rubecula) Cry4 from the retina |
| The protein sits in the outer segments of the robin's double cones and long-wavelength single cones | Cry4 protein is specifically expressed in the outer segments of the double cones and long-wavelength single cones in European robins and chickens. |
| robin retinas make more of its mRNA during the spring and autumn migratory seasons, something not seen in chickens | during the spring and autumn migratory seasons relative to the non-migratory seasons in European robins and domestic chickens (Gallus gallus), the Cry4 mRNA expression level in European robin retinae, but not in chicken retinae, is significantly higher during the migratory season compared to the non-migratory seasons |
| In vertebrates, cryptochromes are the only proteins known to form radical pairs when struck by light, so they are currently the only candidates for a light-dependent magnetic sense | In vertebrates, cryptochromes are the only class of proteins that form radical pairs upon photo-excitation. Therefore, they are currently the only candidate proteins for light-dependent magnetoreception. |

## Nießner et al. (2011). Avian Ultraviolet/Violet Cones Identified as Probable Magnetoreceptors. PLoS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0020091

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Robins also carry cryptochrome 1a, found only in the violet- and ultraviolet-sensitive cones that are spread across the whole retina, where electron microscopy shows it in ordered bands along the membrane discs of each cone's outer segment | In both species, Cry1a is present exclusively in the ultraviolet/violet (UV/V) cones that are distributed across the entire retina. Electron microscopy shows Cry1a in ordered bands along the membrane discs of the outer segment |
| The authors said that arrangement fulfils essential requirements of the radical-pair model | We provide first structural evidence that Cry1a occurs within a sensory structure arranged in a way that fulfils essential requirements of the Radical-Pair-Model. |
| called these cones "probable magnetoreceptors" | identifying the UV/V-cones as probable magnetoreceptors |
| Domestic chickens, which also use a magnetic compass | European robins, Erithacus rubecula , and domestic chickens, Gallus gallus , two species that have been shown to use the magnetic field for compass orientation |
| carry the protein in the same cone type | Cry1a was found only in UV/V cones, and all these cones contained Cry1a in chickens as well as in robins. |
| tags: super-navigator | European robins, Erithacus rubecula , and domestic chickens, Gallus gallus , two species that have been shown to use the magnetic field for compass orientation (note: settle #889; moved from the storm petrel, whose page gives smell, not a magnetic sense) |

## Engels et al. (2014). Anthropogenic electromagnetic noise disrupts magnetic compass orientation in a migratory bird. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13290

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Robins tested inside unscreened wooden huts on the University of Oldenburg campus in Germany could not orient using their magnetic compass | When European robins, Erithacus rubecula, were exposed to the background electromagnetic noise present in unscreened wooden huts at the University of Oldenburg campus, they could not orient using their magnetic compass. |
| Grounded, aluminum-screened huts, which cut electromagnetic noise between 50 kHz and 5 MHz about a hundredfold, brought their magnetic orientation back | Their magnetic orientation capabilities reappeared in electrically grounded, aluminium-screened huts, which attenuated electromagnetic noise in the frequency range from 50 kHz to 5 MHz by approximately two orders of magnitude. (note: "about a hundredfold" is "approximately two orders of magnitude".) |
| deliberately generating broadband noise inside the screened huts took it away again | when broadband electromagnetic noise was deliberately generated inside the screened and grounded huts, the birds again lost their magnetic orientation capabilities. |
| the magnetic part of the noise that stopped robins orienting was a thousand times weaker than the lower exposure limits in the World Health Organization guidelines of the time | the magnetic component of this electromagnetic noise is a thousand times weaker than the lower exposure limits adopted in current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines (note: Nature's editor's summary on the publisher page; "current" as of 2014, so "of the time".) |
| its disruptive effect was not confined to a narrow frequency band | The disruptive effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields is not confined to a narrow frequency band |
| Robins tested far from sources of electromagnetic noise needed no screening to orient with their magnetic compass | birds tested far from sources of electromagnetic noise required no screening to orient with their magnetic compass |

## Schwabl & Kriner (1991). Territorial aggression and song of male European robins (Erithacus rubecula) in autumn and spring: Effects of antiandrogen treatment. Hormones and Behavior.

https://doi.org/10.1016/0018-506x(91)90049-n

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Male robins guarding a winter feeding territory carry low testosterone, while males defending a spring breeding territory carry higher levels, and song is part of the defense in both seasons | Male robins aggressively defending a feeding territory in winter have low levels of testosterone, while males defending a breeding territory in spring have elevated levels of testosterone. Song is an integrated part of territorial defense during both phases. |
| When a study blocked testosterone in male robins with the anti-androgen flutamide, the results suggested that aggressive defense of a breeding territory is facilitated by the hormone while winter defense does not need it, and singing rate was not significantly reduced in either season | Results suggest that, similar to species in which territoriality is restricted to the reproductive phase, aggressive defense of a breeding territory by male robins is facilitated by androgens. Territorial defense during the nonbreeding season, however, does not require androgenic activity. Singing frequency, on the other hand, was not significantly reduced during either phase by flutamide application. |
| The authors suggest the year-round "keep out" song is independent of testosterone | we suggest that the incorporation of sexual signals into male song during breeding depends on testosterone, but that the year-round production of territorial "keep out" signals is independent of testosterone |
| Researchers gave the anti-androgen flutamide to free-living and to captive male robins, during both the winter feeding season and the spring breeding season | Male robins aggressively defending a feeding territory in winter have low levels of testosterone, while males defending a breeding territory in spring have elevated levels of testosterone. Song is an integrated part of territorial defense during both phases. We investigated whether testosterone is involved in the expression of these behaviors by treating free-living and captive male robins during both phases with the antiandrogen flutamide. |
| a bird that sings year-round to hold its territory | the year-round production of territorial "keep out" signals is independent of testosterone (note: settle #889 (vibe.reason)) |

## Fuller, Warren & Gaston (2007). Daytime noise predicts nocturnal singing in urban robins. Biology Letters.

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2007.0134

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Urban robins sing at night in areas that are noisy during the day, which reduces acoustic interference, and light pollution, often blamed for night singing in city birds, has a much weaker effect than daytime noise | urban European robins Erithacus rubecula, highly territorial birds reliant on vocal communication, reduce acoustic interference by singing during the night in areas that are noisy during the day. The effect of ambient light pollution, to which nocturnal singing in urban birds is frequently attributed, is much weaker than that of daytime noise. |
| in cities noisy by day moves its song into the night | reduce acoustic interference by singing during the night in areas that are noisy during the day (note: settle #889 (vibe.reason)) |

## De La Hera et al. (2017). Habitat segregation by breeding origin in the declining populations of European Robins wintering in southern Iberia. Ibis.

https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12549

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| one isotope-tracking study in southern Spain | We used hydrogen isotopic signatures of feathers ( δD f ) to shed light on the habitat distribution of seasonally sympatric European Robin Erithacus rubecula populations wintering in Campo de Gibraltar (note: Campo de Gibraltar is in southern Spain (Cádiz province); the paper's title says southern Iberia.) |
| Resident robins there were not outcompeted when migrants arrived, and stayed in the woodlands where they breed, while migrants that had bred closer by were more likely to settle in woodland than migrants from farther away | sedentary Robins were not outcompeted upon the arrival of migrants and remained in the woodlands where they reproduce ... migratory Robins with a closer breeding origin (higher δD f values) had a higher probability of occupying woodlands than did migrants coming from further away |
| The authors suggest that where each bird had bred matters more to its winter address than its sex, age or body size | our results suggest that the role of breeding origin in shaping the distribution of Robins during winter in Campo de Gibraltar is more relevant than the effects of sex, age or body size |

## Collar (2020). European Robin (Erithacus rubecula). Birds of the World.

https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.eurrob1.01

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The species ranges from western Europe, northwestern Morocco and the Atlantic islands east to the Urals, southwestern Siberia and northern Iran | Western Europe, northwestern Morocco, Azores, Madeira and western Canary Islands. ... Urals and southwestern Siberia ... Southeastern Azerbaijan and northern Iran (note: Subspecies distributions: nominate rubecula, tataricus, hyrcanus. "Atlantic islands" = Azores, Madeira and the Canaries.) |
| while robins from the Urals and southwestern Siberia winter in southwestern Asia | Urals and southwestern Siberia; non-breeding southwestern Asia. |
| from western Europe and northwestern Morocco east to the Urals, southwestern Siberia and northern Iran | Western Europe, northwestern Morocco, Azores, Madeira and western Canary Islands. ... Urals and southwestern Siberia ... Southeastern Azerbaijan and northern Iran |
| the easternmost populations winter in southwestern Asia and the Middle East | Urals and southwestern Siberia; non-breeding southwestern Asia. ... Southeastern Azerbaijan and northern Iran; non-breeding also Middle East. |

## Robin (Erithacus rubecula). Natural History Museum.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/robin-erithacus-rubecula.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Robins hold territory as a pair in summer and individually in winter, and both sexes defend it with surprising ferocity | Both male and female robins hold territories, as a pair in summer and as individuals in winter. They will defend these with surprising ferocity |
| A robin measures about 14 cm long, with a 20 to 22 cm wingspan and a body weight of roughly 14 to 21 g | Length: 14cm
Wingspan: 20-22cm
Weight: 14-21g |
| on a cold night it can use up to a tenth of its body weight staying warm | During cold nights robins use up to 10% of their body weight to stay warm. |
| Its diet is seeds, fruit, insects, worms and other invertebrates; it visits garden feeders for scraps and mealworms, and often follows gardeners to take freshly dug-up worms | A robin's diet consists of seeds, fruits, insects, worms and other invertebrates. It will also visit garden bird tables and feeders to feed on scraps and mealworms ... robins often follow gardeners around to take advantage of freshly dug-up worms |
| British robins can be seen in gardens and hedgerows all year round | Robins can be seen all year round in gardens, parks and hedgerows, in both the countryside and urban areas. |
| Gardener's shadow | robins often follow gardeners around to take advantage of freshly dug-up worms (note: An epithet for a habit the source calls frequent ("often"); the body carries the hedge.) |
| ferociously territorial songster | They will defend these with surprising ferocity, driving off intruders and making their presence known by singing loudly from conspicuous perches. |
| the bird that became the Victorian icon of Christmas | The robin became the iconic bird of Christmas in the Victorian era |
| Woodland, farmland, hedgerows, gardens and parks | Robins are widespread throughout the UK, inhabiting farmland and woodland, as well as gardens and parks in towns and cities. (note: Hedgerows from the same page: "Robins can be seen all year round in gardens, parks and hedgerows".) |
| Seeds, fruit, insects, worms and other invertebrates, plus scraps and mealworms from garden feeders | A robin's diet consists of seeds, fruits, insects, worms and other invertebrates. It will also visit garden bird tables and feeders to feed on scraps and mealworms. |
| weightKg: 0.018 | Weight: 14-21g (note: settle #889; midpoint 17.5 g) |

## Robin. BTO BirdFacts.

https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/robin

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| in winter birds from northern and eastern Europe arrive to help swell their numbers | The Robin is both a resident and also a migrant visitor to Britain during the winter months, when birds from northern and eastern Europe help to swell numbers. |
| Typical life expectancy for a robin that reaches breeding age is two years | Typical life expectancy of bird reaching breeding age
2 years with breeding typically at 1 year |
| The oldest ringed robin in the BTO's records reached 8 years, 4 months and 30 days, a record set in 1977 | Maximum age from a ringed bird
8 years, 4 months, 30 days (set in 1977) (note: "oldest ringed robin" is BTO's "maximum age from a ringed bird", scoped to the BTO's own records.) |

## Fransson et al. (2010). EURING list of longevity records for European birds.

https://euring.org/data-and-codes/longevity-list?page=4

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| EURING's Europe-wide list of ringing records holds a robin ringed in the Czech Republic that was found dead more than 19 years and 4 months later | Robin \| Erithacus rubecula \| Czech Republic \| Z 364896 \| >19yrs 4mths \| Found dead (fresh) (note: Current EURING list read in Chrome and hand-cached (#944): the record AnAge gave as 19.3 years still stands. BTO's own oldest is 8y 4m; EURING spans all European schemes.) |

## Erithacus rubecula. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22709675A166350059.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2021-3.rlts.t22709675a166350059.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: IUCN status quoted from GBIF's copy of the Red List (iucnredlist.org refuses scripts); the reference cites the assessment DOI, per docs/fact-check.md.) |