We've had a horde of robins around for a couple of weeks now. I assume they're not "our" residents, just stopping by for a while on their way north.

Question is with all this snow and an obvious dearth of bugs, what do they eat? They aren't going for anything we put in the feeders or on the ground (mixed seed and small bread chunks).

I had a mob of them (mixed with Cedar Waxwings) attack a Yaopon Holly on Monday. Never seen anything like it. It was like a bunch of piranhas stripping the berries. The whole shrub was stripped in minutes.

I don't think the Robins usually eat berries, but can't get to their usual insects.

I think I saw where Alfred Hitchcock got his idea for The Birds.

JR

They attacked my house not long ago... I have ALWAYS known what a robin looked like.

Since the ground is covered, I’ve had about 4million birds show up and lounge around the chicken coop eating cracked corn.. After we did donuts in my pasture yesterday on the atvs my field has been covered with birds since we blew all the snow off of the ruts

Robins won't eat seed. If you throw out chopped up apple or berries they may eat that. They mostly eat berries, worms, and bugs in the wild. I've seen a bunch of them die in the north before because of unexpected snow that made foraging for them near impossible.

suet and berries

robin




givens.

We have a ton of Robins also.

I've been putting out all kinds of dried fruits for the Robins.

Man i seen about 75-100 today most i've ever seen in a group, they were spread out over 2 yards. Pretty cool

I have never seen so many Robins in my life. They have been DOZENS of them for about 2 weeks. They are usually solitary birds. They have been digging up my yard where there is no ice or snow.

Robins are feasting around our backyard pond, along with waterfowl, on the edge of the shore where water has receded.

How their little legs and feet don't just freeze up and crack off in a thousand pieces - I'll never understand.

They are usually a sign of Spring . . . . . Please God make it so . . . . 🙏🏻

Especially in harsh weather, it's great to put out seed and water as that will help most birds survive the storm but you don’t have to worry too much about their cold feet. Birds’ circulation systems are designed so their core temp stays around 104 degrees F while their feet remain above freezing even when standing in the snow. Their legs and feet have what's called a countercurrent heat exchange design.

In addition to their internal circulation system, waterfowl, shorebirds, and other birds have the ability to stand on one foot with the other tucked up into their feathers. Waterfowl can also been seen tucking up one foot while resting in cold water. Keeping one foot warm and tucked up in their feathers next to their warmer core effectively halves the energy required to maintain their core temp.

Here are a couple of links that describe their circulation system -

Why Birds Don't Get Cold Feet

How Do Gulls Deal with Cold Feet