What’s your Christmas BIRD?
In the UK we will soon be besieged with Christmas cards. THE bird species which will be more in evidence than any other will be the European Robin. Not the Robin of North America (Turdus migratorius), but a much smaller cuter -looking, super aggressive chat. Often known as the gardeners friend, our resident British birds are often quite tame. However we are invaded each autumn by hundreds or even thousands of immigrant Robins from Scandinavia and probably even parts of Russia. These are wilder Robins and some are super migrants, having reached as far east as Japan. One of the wilder ones from North and East of the UK is in the photo above. Taken on the Shetland Isles in October 2010.
So 2 questions come to mind:
1) When will North America get its first real proper Robin (a European one)! Newfoundland must be a good bet.
2) If ours is the Robin, what is the bird most represented in the Christmas paraphernalia in North America? Hope its not the Turkey!
Interesting comment. I’m not in the US anymore but am American, and I can’t say that we ever had one specific “Christmas bird”. But the bird I’d most associate with Christmas is the Northern Cardinal, seconded by the Black-capped Chickadee.
Thanks Nate and Dan- wow Northern Cardinal. nice one!
The Christmas bird in North America is Northern Cardinal, bar none. And it’s sitting in a fir tree in the snow, which has to be really weird for the full third of the continent that doesn’t have Cardinals.
I agree, in the US, the Northern Cardinal is probably the most featured bird on Christmas cards
In Sweden the BullFinch is on every Christmas card. I don’t think there are any particular birds associated with Christmas in Peru. Maybe we should start a new tradition here. How about Vermilion Flycatcher and Peruvian Meadowlark? Are they worthy?
Gunnar Engblom
Kolibri Expeditions
https://www.kolibriexpeditions.com
PS. Please excuse my briefness….this is written on a mobile device.
Fascinating Gunnar, I had no idea- wonder if its different in other European countries
Martin
I guess it would have to be the Kookaburra in Australia!