Jason E. Andersen

March means that spring is fast approaching. Maybe it’s even here right now, this very minute! 

Bonus Fun Fact: The American robin (Turdus migratorius) is one of the quintessential signs of spring. Robins do a short migration for the winter, travelling from Canada and the United States to warmer weather in Central America, Mexico, and the gulf coast. As soon as the weather warms, they travel back northward to take advantage of earthworms and insects emerging from their winter slumber. You can track sightings of robins, and other signs of spring, on the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Journey North website.

Bonus Bonus Fun Fact(s): As someone is who is surrounded by bird nerds, and a bird nerd as well, I will share a couple inside jokes with you. Among birdwatchers, an American robin is often referred to as JAR, because you see a bird, get excited, and look at it through your binoculars. “Oh, it’s Just Another Robin.” Also, the robin’s latin name, Turdus migratorius, elicits the bird’s lesser-known nickname ‘the migrating turd.’ Hehe… poop jokes.

Bonus Bonus Bonus Fun Fact: You don’t have to see a robin to know it’s there. You can easily recognize a robin by its perky singing. Their song goes “cheer-up, cheerily, cheer-io!” They also whinny like horses.