Birds Habitat Generalists - Page 2

It is hard to imagine a native North American species with as broad a niche as the house Sparrow, but the niche of the American Robin may exceed it in some ways. The House Sparrow, though more adaptable in terms of food and nest site, is never far from human habitation; the Robin is at home in urban areas and wilderness forest. Other notable North American generalists include the Northern Mockingbird, the Common Grackle, crows, and jays.

The American Robin's diet generally consists of around 40 percent invertebrates, such as earthworms, beetle grubs, caterpillars and grasshoppers, and 60 percent wild and cultivated fruits and berries. They will flock to fermented Pyracantha berries, and in sufficient quantities will exhibit intoxicated behavior such as falling over while walking. It forages primarily on the ground for soft-bodied invertebrates, and finds worms by sight, pouncing on them and then pulling them up. Nestlings are fed mainly on worms and other soft-bodied animal prey. In some areas, Robins, particularly of the coastal race T. m. caurinus will feed on beaches, taking insects and small mollusks.