Far North Will Robins Go?
Robins only began nesting in the high arctic for the first time
in the late 1990s. “We're
at 64.2°N 96.05°W
robins here for the first time ever in 2005,” said teacher Orin
Durey of Baker Lake village in Nunavut, Canada. "It’s so
unusual that Inuit don't even have a word for this bird. In the Inuit language
a robin is known simply as the bird with the red breast. Now villagers wait
each spring to see if robins will be back."
Advantages of Long Summer Days
northernmost robins arrive at a later date than their Illinois cousins, but they
will still have plenty of time for raising babies. Breeding animals need to feed
themselves AND their babies, so finding
food is serious business. Fred Charles found that Illinois robins put in 15.5
hours a day feeding young in late May, bringing an average of 356 pieces of food
or Discussion Questions
do you think robins are migrating and nesting farther north than
might the long days in northern regions benefit birds that migrate
there? What disadvantages
can you list for robins going the farthest north?