Robin redbreast

The little robin is the national bird of the UK and has won this status for being an easily-recognisable, tame, cheery companion to British gardeners all round the country. It is very common to find a robin perched nearby when digging and turning the soil.

The ‘robin redbreast’ is so called for obvious reasons, with male and female adults looking very similar to each other. Robins eat insects mainly, but will not turn down a few cake crumbs or sunflower hearts. They may even eat these from your hand. Robins tend to hide away in the summer but are otherwise seen in all seasons, although a few do migrate to Spain or Portugal in winter, just like their human compatriots.

(Top image: Alan Cruickshank at Flickr.com / CC BY-ND 2.0)