Housing for Robins

Robins typically build deep, cup-shaped nests in the branch forks of dense trees or shrubs such as juniper, redcedar, white pine, maple or sycamore. Nests hold 3 to 5 pale blue eggs during a 12 to 14 day incubation period. Sometimes they will use a nesting platform if one is available. More a shelter than a birdhouse, it is basically a shelf enclosed on three sides. Mount it from 10 to 40 feet high on a post or on a tree branch. To see some platforms go to Yardener’s Tool Shed for some samples.

Robins make nests from twigs, string, cloth and mud, and will use materials such as thread, dryer lint, yarn or other nesting materials that you provide for them in the yard. Those in the South lay eggs starting in March over four months; those in the North begin after their migration about the end of April. Usually they have two broods per season, sometimes three, moving to a new nest each time. Sometimes robin couples stay together for more than one breeding season. The robin lifespan is typically 4 to 11 years.