Journey North American Robin

Welcome Robins, a Favorite Sign of Spring!
The return of the robin has always been a favorite sign of spring in North America's northern regions. Students can track robin migration from the southern states all the way to the Arctic — where robins don't usually arrive until May!

Where Do Robins Spend the Winter?
This study begins with a Winter Robin Round-up, a mid-winter census conducted by students in backyards across North America. Students learn where robins are found before their migration begins. They can track the migration to their own backyards when citizen scientists like themselves start reporting sightings!

How Do You Know When Your Robins Arrive?
When their own robin reaches the end of its migration, the bird announces its arrival by singing its territorial song. The robin's territorial song is the simplest method for tracking spring robin migration.

Thank YOU, Citizen Scientists!
Professional scientists focusing on robins use the data from Journey North's citizen scientists in many ways, so reporting your sightings is important. The data help scientists for tracking robin movements from year to year. People are still trying to figure out the migratory patterns of robins, so they may try to see if there are correlations between where robins are and what food is available, what the average temperature is, and other variables. Comparing the timing of migration from year to year may also give insights about climate change. Your sightings can help solve puzzling questions important to us all!

What to Watch For
We are collecting observations of wintering robins, the first robins, 'waves' of migrating robins, and first earthworms. Use this checklist to discover all the robin life cycle events you can observe this spring!

Checklist of Robin Observations (pdf)

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