It’s a common experience for many people to have a robin suddenly appear and follow or hop along behind them when out walking. This behavior intrigues and delights some people, while others find it unnerving. Just why do robins exhibit this following behavior?
Quick Answers
There are a few quick answers to why robins follow humans:
- Robins are looking for food. They associate humans with potential sources of food like insect stirred up by walking or food scraps.
- It’s the breeding season. Male robins are highly territorial during breeding season and will follow or attack humans seen as intruders.
- They are juvenile robins. Young robins often imprint on humans and follow them thinking they are their parents.
While these provide some explanation for the robins’ behavior, there are more details worth exploring behind the reasons robins follow and accordion along with people.
Robins Associate Humans with Food
One of the most common reasons robins follow humans is that they have learned to associate people with sources of food. Robins are opportunistic feeders and are eager to take advantage of any feeding opportunities they come across. Some of the ways robins may connect humans with food include:
- Insect flushed up – As people walk along, their footsteps stir up and flush out insects and other invertebrates in the grass. Robins will swoop in to grab any food that is disturbed.
- Feeders – Robins learn that human homes and gardens can provide good foraging grounds at feeders stocked with seed, suet and fruit.
- Mowed lawns – Earthworms and other prey get exposed when grass is mowed. Robins associate mowed lawns with easy meals.
- Gardeners – People turning over soil and gardening uncover food sources. Robins follow gardeners in anticipation.
- Crumbs and Litter – Robins associate humans with food litter and crumbs thrown or dropped.
This connection between humans and food leads robins to follow and observe people closely as they move through the robin’s territory, awaiting any feeding opportunities they stir up.
Common Food Sources
Here are some of the common food sources robins are looking for when following humans:
- Worms – Especially earthworms turned up by walking over grass, mowed lawns, tilled soil
- Insects – Beetles, caterpillars, ants, flies, spiders, etc.
- Berries – Variety of fruits and berries growing in gardens and landscapes
- Seeds – From bird feeders stocked with seed mixes or bread/cracker crumbs
- Suet – Fat and protein source from suet feeders
Breeding and Territory Defense
Another reason for robins eagerly following humans during spring is breeding behavior and territory defense. In the springtime, male robins become highly territorial and aggressive as they try to establish breeding areas to attract mates.
Robins will perceive humans wandering through their territory as potential encroaching rivals. By following behind humans, the robins are sending a message that this is their turf and the person should move along. They are essentially following you away to make sure you leave their territory. This following behavior may be accompanied by aggressive diving attacks in an attempt to drive off the intruder.
This breeding season behavior is particularly common in spring during the months of March, April and May when robins are establishing breeding territories. The following and attacks tend to fade away once breeding season passes.
Other Territorial Behaviors
In addition to following humans, robins exhibit other territorial behaviors in the breeding season including:
- Chasing other male robins
- Fighting using their beaks and claws
- Dive bombing intruders
- Loud warning calls
- Puffing up their feathers
These behaviors are all part of the robin’s repertoire for defending their breeding territory and warding off anything seen as a rival or threat.
Young, Imprinted Robins
Young robins that have recently left the nest also commonly follow behind humans. This is because they may have imprinted on humans as their caretakers and source of food. Imprinting leads the juvenile robins to run after humans expecting food and protection.
Imprinting typically occurs when young chicks identify the first moving object they encounter, often the parent robin, as the thing they should follow. If a human is the first large moving object the robin sees, they may imprint on people instead.
This imprinting is strongest in the first two weeks after hatching but remains throughout the juvenile stage as the robins still associate humans with access to food, protection, and learning foraging skills. These imprinted robins may continue to closely trail specific people who they have bonded with.
Identifying Imprinted Robins
There are a few signs that indicate a robin following you is an imprinted juvenile:
- It is a young bird, born earlier in the breeding season
- Follows very closely, often just a foot or two behind
- Hops towards you persistently if you stop
- Makes frequent chirping noises
- Flutters wings and begs for food
- Doesn’t exhibit territorial aggression
This behavior usually fades as the robin matures and becomes more independent foraging for its own food. Though even as adults, an imprinted robin may still remain quite friendly towards humans.
How to Respond to a Following Robin
When you notice a robin has started trailing behind you, here are some tips on how to respond:
- Stay calm and do not make sudden movements. This could startle the robin and provoke an attack.
- Keep walking normally. Try not to speed up or slow down.
- Avoid prolonged eye contact. This can sometimes be seen as aggression.
- Give them space. Do not approach closer or try to touch.
- If attacked, protect your head and keep moving away.
- Accept their behavior as natural. Don’t take it personally.
Usually the robin will lose interest after a short while and break off following you. But their persistence is a reminder of how clever they are at foraging around humans!
Fun Facts About Robins
Beyond their tendency to follow humans, robins exhibit many other fascinating behaviors and traits:
- Both male and female robins sing, especially in early morning hours
- They can produce over 200 types of vocalizations
- Robins are remembered in the Christmas song for their colorful red breasts
- They migrate long distances, over 250,000 each year fly north over Lake Erie!
- Robins can produce 3 successful broods in one breeding season
- Young robins leave the nest after 2 weeks, then are fed by parents for 2 more
- Their eggs are a lovely bright blue color
- Robins love bathing in puddles and water sources
- They thrive around human homes and neighborhoods
- A group of robins is called a “round”
This gives a glimpse into the biology and behavior that makes robins such common and engaging birds for many. Their antics following behind people are just one way robins interact and adapt around human environments.
Conclusion
In summary, robins often follow humans due to their association of people with food, breeding season territoriality, or juvenile imprinting. This following behavior allows robins to take advantage of the feeding opportunities and stirred-up insects that accompany human passage through their environments. Though sometimes perceived as threatening or alarming, it is simply a natural robin survival strategy and response.
Understanding why robins trail behind you can help people appreciate this unique bird behavior when it occurs in parks, neighborhoods, and backyards rather than be dismayed. With their bright red breasts, chirping songs, and crafty feeding strategies, robins will continue to amuse and delight the many people they follow each spring and summer!