“The robin is the best known and best loved of all the birds in the State of Michigan,” the Michigan Legislature declared when adopting the American Robin as the state bird of Michigan in 1931. The American Robin is also the state bird of Connecticut and Wisconsin and plays a prominent role as an early indication that spring is just around the corner.

The American Robin is commonly known as Robin Redbreast. It’s even known as the Red-breasted Bug-gobbler. You can identify the state bird by its dark gray back and brick red breast and dark stripes against a white throat. Their young have dark speckling on their breasts. Robin males and females look very similar, but the female’s colors are duller when she is incubating. Its beak is slightly darker than the male’s.

A member of the thrush family, which includes species like the melodic Wood Thrush, Hermit Thrush and Varied Thrush of the West Coast, the robin is a migrator.

But as climate change warms the planet, more and more Robins stay in Michigan all year, eating berries throughout the season. The rest of the year, they eat earthworms, snails, and other insects. In fact, they eat up to 14 feet of earthworms daily! Habitats maintained by Oakland County Parks’ natural resources staff provide food and shelter for American Robins year-round.

The female builds its nest from grasses, twigs and mud and often builds their nests under eaves, on gutters and even on porch lights. The extra heat from the light helps incubate their eggs. While the mud is still soft, the female robin spins in the nest, shaping it to her body to increase incubation rates. Robin eggs are a shade of light blue, popularly known as “Robin’s Egg Blue.” Female robins lay three to four eggs in each brood and have two to three broods every year.

This much-loved bird is thriving! Next time you’re visiting our parks system, listen for its welcome and cheery song.

For information, visit OaklandCountyParks.com. Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and X.

Oakland County offers residents quality, affordable housing in welcoming neighborhoods with access to parks and recreation, public transportation, and healthy food as part of the Livable Neighborhoods goal in our five-year road map. Follow the Oakland County Executive Office on Facebook and X for updates. Follow along with Oakland County on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X, and YouTube using #OaklandCounty, or visit our website for news and services year-round.