Robins - are they "paired" at this time of year?

[werdnal]

We have had a very aggressive robin in the garden for last few days. He sings a lot morning and night, and has claimed most of the garden, including the bird table as his own patch. He chases away most other similar sized birds, and I've seen him chasing/fighting with another robin. However, there is one other robin which he doesn't chase and gets quite close to without any aggression or territorial display. I thought most of the robins around at this time of year were migrants. Could this be a pair who have migrated together? Do robins pair for life?

[basquesteve]

I have 3 Robins bouncing around in the garden quite happily I can only assume its 3 females or a male and 2 females As far as I'm aware they don't mate for life and a male doesn't see a female as a threat

I saw a British programme recently with a stuffed Robin a male tore it to bits

Steve

[hedgewych]

Last week (before the snow) I was in the garden planting bulbs and there were two robins on opposite garden walls about 5 m aart. They were singing at each other (or so I thought). Since then I've only seen one at once. I didn't see them get close but has one of them scared the other off?

[actionfinch]

there very territorial , i have the same thing werdnal...it annoys me sometimes cause it happens alot when a female chaffinch attempts to get in the garden.I assume the singing is to warn others off .intresting behaviour to watch mind.im not sure but i dont htink they pair for life..

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by werdnal

We have had a very aggressive robin in the garden for last few days. He sings a lot morning and night, and has claimed most of the garden, including the bird table as his own patch. He chases away most other similar sized birds, and I've seen him chasing/fighting with another robin. However, there is one other robin which he doesn't chase and gets quite close to without any aggression or territorial display. I thought most of the robins around at this time of year were migrants. Could this be a pair who have migrated together? Do robins pair for life?

There is a recent thread which covered some of the same ground: How do Robins know? A question about Robin behaviour.

It is quite possible that the rather 'fixed' ideas that we have about bird species' behaviour are actually somewhat divergent from the range of actual behaviours that birds have in the wild. Dunnocks were once thought of as having a simple male/female mating strategy but in fact have a very complex sets of interactions. Observation of behaviour may be a better test of what birds actually do, rather than what books say they are supposed to do.

CM

[welshgold]

Seen this one today, Not quite a 'redbreast' but he is all alone, not seen any in pairs

[SheffieldLass]

I've got about 5 robins in my garden right now, two in the front garden, three in the back. We're a line of houses, woods at the front, fields at the back, and the birds seem to establish a series of very long, narrow territories, front and back, taking in a bit of garden, with a line of hedge, plus either wood or field. So whilst us humans divide our territories with hedges, the birds divide their territories midway between our hedges ...

One of the front garden ones also thinks its territory includes my house ... it hops into my utility area if I leave the door open, and also has been in my kitchen, and even upstairs into all the rooms up there . I have to be very careful I don't shut it in by mistake.

[Cowgirl]

I also have a couple of robins but they seem to share the back & front feeders between them, I presume one claims one & the other, the other. I noticed one the robins acting a bit peculiar on the fron feeder the other day. He/she was sat on the feeder pole tray all puffed up but smooth (like they do when it's cold) & as I watched, he flared his wings out slightly and keeping them flared turned slowly (but bobbing if that makes any sense) from left to right. He stayed on the tray for several minutes doing this. He didn't look ill (soon went back to normal feather & wing position & flew off when I moved), it almost looked to me like he was 'claiming' the tray as his & he was making himself look intimidating to the other birds, he did this several times through the day.

Do you think that's what he was doing? No other bird came on the tray while he was doing this. The little bruiser .

[htcdude]

I actually had 2 Robins on the fence a couple of nights ago having a pretty good go at each other, one was really pecking at the other. Last night I only saw the one but another was heard nearby. I guess this was just territorial rather than protecting a mate.

Nige