Robins and Humans

Robins have become symbols of Christmas-time in Britain and are often depicted on Christmas cards. The idea originates from the time when Christmas notepaper showed a robin delivering the Christmas post; it seems that in those days postmen were called robins because they wore red tunics!

The overall robin population does not seem to have declined over the years despite loss of woodland, as robins have adapted well to other habitats such as parks and gardens.

We can help robins survive hard winters by putting out food for them. Bits of cheese and other pieces of fatty foods are particularly good for them, but their favourite food of all is mealworms (available from pet shops); they will take these straight from your hand. It is best not to encourage your garden robins to become too tame if there are cats about.