Robins are a surprising bird. Considered a sign of the coming autumn, good luck and, some believe, a sign from a deceased loved one. But one lesser-known fact about these tiny birds is just how good their memories are.
Wild robins have been found to have a particularly good memory for humans. This doesn’t mean your garden robin knows you by your face, but instead could recognise your movements, walking schedules and behavioural patterns.
In one study, it was found that these birds could discriminate between a familiar observer and a novel observer over an 8-day feeding experiment. Other studies have found that robins have a surprisingly keen eye and memory for individual behavioural indicators.
In other words, if you have a robin that keeps coming back to your garden, they are likely able to distinguish between you and anyone else in the house. They are especially good at recognising this when food is involved.
They aren’t the only birds to do this. Many birds such as magpies, crows and mocking birds are able to identify people. Robins, however, are slightly more curious and friendly than their counterparts, meaning it will feel more like they are befriending you.
It can even feel like a robin is following you once its got to know you. Unfortunately, this is not the start of a great friendship but instead, a food-based relationship.
Robin’s are opportunistic when it comes to food. They follow larger animals in the hope of finding a good meal and, to a robin, you are the largest mammal it will ever see. Even if you’ve never fed your garden robin before, they might have seen you dig up worms in the garden or throw out your food waste.
If a local robin deems you more of a friend than foe, you are likely to find them following you around even more, hoping you’ll lead them to a tasty snack.
If you do want to ‘befriend’ your local robin, it is entirely about enticing them in with that promise of food. Regularly turning your soil, planting berries and setting up bird nesting boxes can turn your garden into a robin sanctuary.
