Adult Robin feeding mate? London UK (1 Viewer)

[ChrisKten]

Not really an ID question, although I guess it is at a stretch.

I've watched one Robin feeding the other for the last few mornings. At first I thought it was a juve being fed, but I got a better view just now, and it's not a juve, it's an adult. Oh there's a bit of Peanut Butter on the tip of the bill of the bird on the left, but it's hidden by the wire fence.

So just to confirm, adult feeding adult?

Thanks

 

[redeyedvideo]

Here's another one from the gallery;

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=307828

 

[tarzzz]

Looks like an adult Robin feeding an adult Robin to me.

Up here they are rare, so i've never seen that.

//Ben

 

[michael23]

Hi Chris, saw this happen in my garden a few days back, had forgotten about it till i saw your pic.

 

[ChrisKten]

Thanks all who replied.

I know that part of a juves protection from other Robins is not looking like a Robin, so it's an obvious adult. It's just that I've never seen this behaviour before, and would have expected to see them feeding a youngster at this time of year.

Thanks again.

Michael: It's quite interesting to see it the first time, isn't it.

 

[Bananafishbones]

Chris, is more likely to be an adult passing food to the other adult to take back for the chicks...... I think!

I saw this with the Greenfinches the other day, once passed over, the female Greenfinch flew off with it

Good demonstration picture too

Dave

of course if she sat and ate it there on this occasion you are corect and mine is a differing story all together.

 

[Franmol]

Chris, the male Robin feeding the female will almost certainly not be for the female to then take the food away to chicks, the food is for her. This courtship feeding - which will have started earlier in the year, continues during nest-building, the laying of the eggs, throughout incubation and in-between broods - doesn't have anything 'directly' to do with mating, but is a valuable and essential food supply for her. If a female gets off the nest, I have often seen them begging from their mates rather than looking for their own food, which enables them to get back to the nests quicker.

Courtship feeding will stop when the female stops brooding the young, when both male and female then play a more or less equal part in feeding the nestlings.

It likely helps the pair's bond too.

 

[ChrisKten]

Chris, the male Robin feeding the female will almost certainly not be for the female to then take the food away to chicks, the food is for her. This courtship feeding - which will have started earlier in the year, continues during nest-building, the laying of the eggs, throughout incubation and in-between broods - doesn't have anything 'directly' to do with mating, but is a valuable and essential food supply for her. If a female gets off the nest, I have often seen them begging from their mates rather than looking for their own food, which enables them to get back to the nests quicker.

Courtship feeding will stop when the female stops brooding the young, when both male and female then play a more or less equal part in feeding the nestlings.

It likely helps the pair's bond too.

Thanks for that; interesting behaviour.

I've had Robins in the garden for years, but yesterday was the first time that I've witnessed this behaviour. Interestingly, the female seems to have a thing for Peanut Butter.|=)|

 

[Franmol]

Chris, I feed mealworms and when a female Robin begs from her mate, he comes 'begging' to me!! Madness!

 

[ChrisKten]

Chris, I feed mealworms and when a female Robin begs from her mate, he comes 'begging' to me!! Madness!

LOL, amazing really, sounds like she's got her mate well trained.

 

[Watts]

We've also had Robins courtship feeding in the garden and I saw a pair of Nuthatches doing the same a few weeks ago.

As suggested by Franmol, by now one might think of it as pair bonding behaviour since the pairs appear to have been formed for some time.

Bill