Robins are beloved backyard birds, recognizable by their bright red breasts and cheerful songs. If you want to attract more robins to your yard, providing food and shelter they need is key. Understanding what robins eat by season and life stage is important for successfully feeding them. With some planning and landscaping, you can turn your yard into a robin hotspot.
What Do Robins Eat?
Robins are omnivorous birds that eat a wide variety of foods depending on the time of year. Their diet consists of:
Insects and Other Invertebrates
- Worms – earthworms, cutworms, mealworms
- Beetles – Japanese beetles, June bugs, weevils
- Caterpillars
- Snails and slugs
- Grasshoppers
- Crickets
- Ants
- Spiders
- Millipedes
- Fly larvae
Insects make up the majority of a robin’s diet, especially in spring and summer when they are breeding and require extra protein. Worms and beetles are favorites. Robins find worms by sight on the ground. They detect beetle larvae in the soil by listening for them chewing on plant roots.
Fruit
- Berries – strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Citrus fruits
- Figs
- Mulberries
Robins eat a wide variety of fruits. They prefer softer berries and fleshy fruits like mulberries and cherries. They also will eat citrus fruits and harder fruits like apples. Fruit is an important part of their diet in late summer and fall.
Seeds and Nuts
- Sunflower seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Peanuts
- Almonds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Oats
Robins will eat various seeds and nuts, especially in winter when their other food sources are scarce. Offer them a variety of shelled and unshelled nuts and seeds to supplement their diet.
Suet and Meat
- Suet
- Peanut butter
- Leftover meat scraps
- Pet food
While not a primary food source, robins will sometimes eat suet, peanut butter, and meat scraps, especially in winter. Avoid offering spoiled or salty food.
Water
Robins need a reliable source of fresh water for drinking and bathing. They are especially drawn to sources that provide moving water like fountains, misters, and drippers. Having a birdbath or other water source in your yard will help attract robins.
What Do Robin Chicks Eat?
Robin parents work hard to find enough food to feed their fast-growing chicks. Here is what chicks are fed:
Insects
- Caterpillars
- Worms
- Grasshoppers
- Beetles
- Crickets
- Ants
- Fly larvae
Protein-rich insects make up the majority of a chick’s diet. The parents hunt caterpillars, worms, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, ants, and other soft-bodied insects to bring back to the nest. Chicks may eat up to 14 feet of earthworms a day!
Fruit
- Berries
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Citrus fruits
- Figs
The parents supplement their insect offerings with softer fruits like berries, grapes, and cherries. As the chicks near the end of the nesting period, they are fed more fruit to prepare them for adulthood.
Seeds
- Oats
- Sunflower seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Suet
Parents may bring back some seeds or suet to the nest to add variety and fat to the chicks’ diet. However, insects and fruit make up the majority of food.
Water
In hot weather, parents may bring water back to the nest in the form of soaked insects or fruit. Access to water helps the nestlings stay hydrated.
Feeding robin chicks is intense work for the parents. Supplying robins’ preferred foods in your yard makes it easier for them to find what their nestlings need.
When Do Robins Eat Different Foods?
The foods robins eat changes based on the season:
Spring
- Insects – worms, beetles, caterpillars, ants
- Berries – strawberries, mulberries, serviceberries
In spring, robins rely heavily on protein-rich worms and insects to replenish themselves after winter and to feed their nestlings. They also eat early spring berries.
Summer
- Insects – beetles, caterpillars, crickets, grasshoppers
- Fruit – cherries, blackberries, raspberries, citrus fruits
Robins feast on insects like beetles, caterpillars, and grasshoppers during the breeding season. They also eat summer fruits and berries when they become ripe.
Fall
- Fruit – grapes, apples, figs, citrus fruits
- Seeds – sunflowers, pumpkin, oats
- Berries – juniper, sumac, Virginia creeper
As insects become scarce in fall, robins switch to eating more fruit like grapes, apples, and late berries. They also start eating more seeds and nuts to store energy for winter.
Winter
- Fruit – crabapples, juniper, sumac, Virginia creeper
- Suet
- Seeds – black oil sunflower, peanuts, mixed bird seed
- Leftover meat scraps
In winter, robins rely more on fruit that persists on trees and shrubs. They also visit feeders for energy-dense suet, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and other seeds. Meat scraps provide an occasional protein source.
Paying attention to what robins eat during each season will allow you to provide their preferred foods consistently in your yard.
How to Attract Robins
Here are some tips for making your yard attractive to robins:
Provide Food and Water
- Offer worms – Keep the ground damp and mulched to encourage worms.
- Offer fruit – Plant berry bushes and fruit trees. Leave some fruit on trees unharvested.
- Offer insects – Avoid pesticides so insects thrive.
- Offer seeds and suet – Keep feeders stocked year-round.
- Supply water – Provide a birdbath, fountain, or mister.
Supplementing what exists naturally in your yard with additional food and water sources will meet robins’ needs throughout the seasons.
Create Shelter and Nesting Sites
- Leave dead branches on trees – Robins often nest on horizontal branches 6-15 feet above ground.
- Leave dead leaves under shrubs – Robins use leaves to build nests.
- Plant evergreens – Dense evergreens provide shelter from wind and predators.
- Put up nest platforms – Platforms placed 8-12 feet high provide safe nest sites.
Robins appreciate yards with protected nesting spots and places to take cover from the elements and predators.
Use Natural Pest Control
- Avoid pesticides – Insecticides reduce robins’ food supply. Herbicides kill fruit-bearing plants.
- Invite predators – Hawks, owls, and snakes help control rodents that eat robin eggs.
- Use physical barriers – Fencing, netting, and tree trunk guards protect fruit trees from pests.
- Remove food after dark – Doing so avoids attracting nocturnal predators like raccoons.
Using organic approaches to manage pests ensures a healthy food supply for robins while also protecting them.
Minimize Disturbances
- Avoid pruning and yardwork near nests during breeding season.
- Place feeders, bird baths, and nesting sites away from high-traffic areas.
- Keep cats indoors – Cats are a top predator of fledgling and adult robins.
Making your yard a peaceful sanctuary reduces stress and risks to nesting and roosting robins.
With some planning and robin-friendly landscaping, your yard can provide everything robins need to thrive year-round.
What Do Robins Eat? Attracting Robins to Your Yard
As America’s unofficial first sign of spring, the sight of robins hopping across lawns in search of food heralds warmer weather to come. These colorful thrushes bring cheer with their red-breasted plumage and sweet song. Attracting more robins to your yard can be as easy as providing their preferred foods. But first, you need to understand what do robins eat?
Robins have diverse diets that fluctuate based on seasonal availability. Across the seasons, here are main staples in a robin’s diet:
Spring
- Worms – finding easy pickings of earthworms and cutworms on damp, freshly turned soil
- Beetles – plucking beetle larvae, grubs, and adults from underground
- Ants – gobbling protein-packed ants emerging in lawns and gardens
- Caterpillars – snacking on tent caterpillars, gypsy moth caterpillars, and other larvae
- Berries – enjoying early ripening berries like strawberries, serviceberries, and mulberries
Summer
- Worms and insect larvae – seeking beetle grubs, fly larvae, and earthworms in soil
- Caterpillars – preying on tomato hornworms, tent caterpillars, and fall webworms
- Beetles – hunting Japanese beetles, June bugs, and weevils
- Grasshoppers and crickets – catching these protein-rich treats hopping through grass
- Cherries, raspberries, and blackberries – devouring ripe summer berries
Fall
- Crickets and grasshoppers – taking advantage of these insects before first frost
- Cranberries, grapes, and apples – filling up on fruit crops ripening in autumn
- Hawthorn and juniper berries – foraging on persistent winter berries
- Seeds and grain – supplementing diet with sunflower seeds, cracked corn, oats
Winter
- Sumac and Virginia creeper – eating tart red berries clung to winter vines and branches
- Crabapples – gorging on any remaining fruit still hanging on trees
- Suet – visiting feeders stocked with nutritious suet cakes
- Black oil sunflower seeds – fueling up on energy-rich sunflower seeds
- Fruit – savoring any overlooked fruit like citrus, figs, or persimmons
As you can see, robins eat a diverse mix of invertebrates, fruit, and seeds. Their preferences shift with seasonal availability. To attract robins year-round, you need to provide a balanced menu.
How to Attract More Robins to Your Yard
Here are some tips for making your yard irresistible to hungry robins:
Offer Preferred Foods
Plantings and feeders can provide robins’ favorite foods in each season:
- Early spring berries – Grow native shrubs like serviceberry, chokeberry, and elderberry for spring berries. Leave some strawberries unharvested.
- Fruit trees – Grow robin-friendly trees like mulberry, cherry, crabapple, grape, and citrus.
- Summer berries – Robins relish raspberries, blackberries, and blueberry shrubs.
- Caterpillar plants – Milkweed, dill, and fennel host caterpillar prey.
- Winter berries – Plant bayberry, juniper, winterberry, and sumac for winter fruit.
- Suet feeders – Keep suet feeders stocked from late fall through early spring.
- Sunflower feeders – Black oil sunflowers are high in fat content preferred by robins.
- Live mealworm feeders – Offer live mealworms in spring and summer when insect diet is vital.
- Ground feeding – Sprinkle millet, cracked corn, oats, and nuts on the ground in fall and winter. Use ground feeding trays to minimize waste.
Provide Nesting Habitat
Robins build nests in sheltered spots in trees, shrubs, and structures:
- Leave dead branches on trees – Robins often nest on horizontal limbs 6-15 feet high.
- Don’t prune inner branches of shrubs – Small branches create concealed nest sites.
- Allow vines to cover fences and structures – Vines offer anchor points for nests.
- Put up nesting shelves or platforms – Mount these 8-12 feet high on trees or posts.
- Leave nesting materials – Supply dry grass clippings, pet fur, straw, and moss.
Offer Fresh Water
Robins need water for drinking and bathing:
- Birdbath – Provide clean, fresh water in a wide, shallow bath. Add stones for perching.
- Mister – A mister creating water droplets will attract robins to drink and bathe.
- Fountain or bubbler – Moving water entices robins. Place water features near trees or shrubs.
- Water garden – Mini ponds and waterfalls offer drinking and bathing sites.
Reduce Threats
Make your yard safer for robins:
- Allow hawks and owls – Raptors control rodents that raid nests for eggs and chicks.
- Remove feed at night – Doing so avoids skunks, raccoons, and opossums that eat ground-feeding birds.
- Use pesticides minimally – Insecticides reduce insect prey. Herbicides kill berry bushes and fruit trees.
- Keep cats indoors – Cats are a top predator of fledgling and adult robins.
- Use predator guards – Protect valuable fruit trees and bushes with netting and guards.
Follow these tips to turn your yard into a robin paradise! With ample food, shelter, water and safety, you’re sure to have more robins nesting and feeding in your backyard.
Frequently Asked Questions About What Robins Eat
Robins have varied diets. Learning what attracts them to yards involves understanding what they eat across seasons. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:
Do robins eat sunflower seeds?
Yes, robins will eat sunflower seeds, especially black oil sunflower seeds. The high fat content of sunflower seeds makes them an excellent energy source for robins in fall and winter. Offer sunflower seeds in hopper feeders, platform feeders or scattered on the ground.
What kind of worms do robins eat?
Earthworms and cutworms are preferred worm treats for robins. They use their keen eyesight to find worms on the ground and then grab them with their pointy beaks. Worms provide robins with protein needed for breeding and raising young.
Do robins eat mealworms?
Mealworms are an excellent natural food supplement for robins. Dried or live mealworms can be fed from specialty robin feeders with trays or tubes. Offer live mealworms in spring and summer when extra protein is needed for nestlings.
What fruits and berries do robins eat?
Robins enjoy a wide variety of fruits and berries in summer, fall and winter. Summer favorites include mulberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, blueberries and figs. Fall and winter fruits eaten by robins include juniper berries, crabapples, sumac berries, grapes, Virginia creeper and more.
Do robins eat suet?
Yes, robins will eat suet, especially in winter when insects are scarce. Suet provides concentrated fat and energy. Look for suet blends with fruit and nuts to attract robins. Hang suet feeders on trees or posts for easy access by robins.
What do baby robins eat?
Parent robins feed their chicks mostly insects and fruit. Worms, caterpillars, beetles, ants, flies and more allow the fast-growing chicks to build protein. Berries and soft fruits supplement the high-protein insect diet. As chicks near fledging, fruit makes up more of their diet.
How often do robins feed their young?
The feeding frequency of nestlings depends on their age. Very young chicks are fed every 10-15 minutes from dawn to dusk. As chicks grow, feeding drops to every 30-45 minutes. Frequent feedings allow chicks to gain weight rapidly to prepare them for fledging.
What time of year do robins eat the most?
Robins eat more food during spring and summer when they are nesting and feeding chicks. A mating pair produces up to 3 clutches per year from April-August. The frenzied activity of finding enough protein-rich food for their broods makes spring and summer peak feeding times.
Conclusion
Part of the joy of having robins frequent your yard is seeing what they choose to eat seasonally. Their diverse diet shifts based on weather patterns, breeding stages and food availability. Adjust your yard’s offerings to match the seasonal preferences of robins. Ample worms and insects in spring fuel breeding. Fruiting trees and shrubs feed adults and chicks through summer. Berries persisting into winter along with suet and seed provide energy during cold months. Meet the full range of a robin’s nutritional needs, and these beloved birds will make your yard a go-to dining destination.