It mainly eats animals without backbones that live on the ground, such as insects, spiders and earthworms. It finds food by hopping on the ground or coming down from a low branch. In autumn and winter, it also eats berries and seeds.
European robin
Erithacus rubecula
Listen to the voice
Tatyana Khimera · MtskhetaGeorgia field photo
A small woodland bird with an orange face and breast. It breeds in Georgia and can be found there throughout the year.
Key facts in one look
- Diet
- Invertebrates
- Status in Georgia
- Breeds; present year-round
- Size
- about 14 cm
- Habitat
- Woodland / gardens
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Global status
- Least Concern
Erithacus rubecula is a small songbird. Adults have orange faces and breasts; young birds do not yet. It breeds in Georgia and is found there year-round, mainly in forests and areas with dense vegetation. It is not dangerous to people. In winter, it can also be seen in gardens and parks.
Identification
European robin: how to identify it
It is a sparrow-sized songbird with an orange face and breast, an olive-brown back, and a pale belly. Males and females look alike. Young birds are brown with spots and have no orange breast.
Its body is about 14 cm long, with a wingspan of 20–22 cm. It often weighs 14–21 g. It has a rounded body, a thin, dark beak and brownish legs. It has no large white patch on its wing or long orange tail.
Adults have uniformly orange-rufous foreheads, cheeks, throats and chests. Their backs are olive-brown. A bluish-grey stripe is often visible beside the chest. The belly is pale and almost white in the middle. Males and females cannot be distinguished by appearance in the wild. Young birds are sandy-brown with dense pale spots. Their faces and chests are not orange.
Common nightingale is larger and does not have an orange face. Phoenicurus phoenicurus and Phoenicurus ochruros have reddish tails. A young European robin does not yet have the orange breast of an adult, so do not rely on that feature alone to identify it.
Often confused with
In Georgia, look for the European robin in dense forests, among shrubs between the trees, and at forest edges. It often looks for food on the ground near bushes, in places that also have open areas. You may also see it in gardens and parks in winter. It was photographed at the Batumi Botanical Garden on June 24, 2016.
Recorded (photo observations)field records
Too few records · 3
The European robin map uses public iNaturalist photo observations in Georgia. Regions come from the records-by-region table: only regions with enough records are shaded on the map; other regions are not shaded. Record counts reflect observation effort, not population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
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- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It sings in high, clear notes separated by short pauses. Both males and females defend their territories, and its song can be heard outside the nesting season. It usually builds its nest close to the ground, among roots, on a slope or in a hollow. It usually lays 4–6 eggs in a nest and sits on them for about two weeks. Nesting has been confirmed in Georgia.
Globally, the European robin is considered to face a low level of threat. It is not included in Georgia’s official 2014 Red List. The category assigned to it for Georgia in a 2024 scientific list is not an official Red List status. A 2021 European assessment estimated that 48,900–490,000 pairs nested in Georgia during 2013–2017. This wide range is an estimate, not an exact count.
Charles J. Sharp · Stratfield Brake, Oxfordshire
Tatyana Khimera · Mtskheta
Donsky · Mtskheta
cerera1 · Kobuleti
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about European robin.
Yes. It nests in Georgia and is found there year-round.
It can be found among plants growing beneath trees in forests and at forest edges. In winter, you may also see it in gardens and parks.
An adult has an orange face and chest, an olive-brown back and a pale belly. A young one is brown with spots, and its chest is not yet orange.
Its body is about 14 cm long, its wingspan is 20–22 cm, and it usually weighs 14–21 g.
It mainly eats insects, spiders and earthworms that live on the ground. In autumn and winter, it also eats berries and seeds.
It is not dangerous to people and is not listed in Georgia’s official 2014 Red List. Do not catch a wild bird or approach its nest.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
