igloo Posted March 9 Report Share Posted March 9 Twitchers watch robin served rareSparrow hawks hunt insects, mammals, birds and reptiles Birdwatchers from all over Britain who gathered in Grimsby to catch sight of a rare American robin were horrified to see her eaten by a passing sparrowhawk. They were still setting up their cameras when the predator swooped down from a row of drab factories and warehouses on an industrial estate. The young bird, from the southern US, "didn't really live to enjoy her moment of fame," a twitcher told the Guardian. The robin's vivid red breast made her an obvious candidate for a lunch date. "It was a terrible moment," Graham Appleton, of the British Trust for Ornithology, which had spread news of the bird's arrival, told the newspaper. Long-distance travels But the trust's migration watch organiser Dawn Balmer was more philosophical. AMERICAN ROBIN Scientific name: Turdus migratoriusAverage size: 21.5 cmLives: Southern, central and eastern USEats: Insects, fruit, worms "Most of these rare visitors eventually succumb anyway to cold weather or a lack of food, if not predation," she told the paper. The robin, whose scientific name Turdus migratorius derives from its long-distance travels within America was probably blown across the Atlantic after being "caught up in a jetstream", Mr Appleton added. A member of the thrush family, with oily-black wings and tail, American robin are as big as British blackbirds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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