23 thoughts on “Spot the real bird”

  2. The one in the center of the photo. Looks a little like the three fakes below.

    1. That’s because the 3 fakes below ARE the real bird ! European robin – Erithacus rubecula, although we (I’m British) just call them robins. Incidentally, your (if you are from N. America, which I think you are given how you spelt centre) American robin is not closely related at all, it is a separate family and indeed is not even a robin, but a thrush !

      1. Just for clarity, when I said “ARE the real bird”, I was not actually saying they are real. I meant they are modelled after the real robin you correctly identified.

        1. Thanks for the assist. Always got along quite well with all the Brits when I was there. Was a long time ago but it’s all good memories.

  4. The robin riding piggy-back in the centre. Just about Britain’s national bird because in the suburbs they are almost finger tame.

  5. I couldn’t see it until I scrolled the image, it was only then when my brain recognized it.

    1. Well your American robin is actually a thrush, it is called after OUR robin because of the red breast ours has, that yours does too. But yeah, it is actually a thrush.

        1. Oh yeah ? Well who won the bloody war anyway ?! Oh hang on, wrong argument altogether…

  10. Great Tits, Robins, Blackbirds…and what kind of European thrush, please?

    (And yes, I see the live one–cute shot! 🙂 )

    1. It seems to be a rather generic thrush, not heavily speckled enough to be either a Song Thrush or Mistle Thrush (which is more splotched than speckled anyway), nor quite the right shade of brown for either. Tail looks a bit short, and there are no pale tips to the outer tail feathers as you would get in Mistle Thrush. Not really any species at all.

      The robins are a bit wrong as well, since the red of the breast extends above the eye (compare with the real thing).

      1. Aha!

        And thanks for the reply. Also for the tip about the Mistle tail tips. 😀 Good to know!

    1. If so, then it must be female. Male robins are extremely aggressive towards other robins, even towards females outside the breeding season. They will even attack very crude imitations, as long as those exhibit a patch of the right colour of red.

      1. Thanks.
        I didn’t know that (or maybe I did, buried somewhere deep in lost memories). ‘Attracted’ is maybe the wrong word, but I’d be surprised if the real one is there by coincidence.

        cr

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