The female continues to sit on the nest for 10-12 days after all the nestlings hatch. She keeps the nestlings warm, safe and dry.
Once the clutch is complete, incubation is by the female alone for 13 days. The shells of the hatched eggs are removed immediately from the nest by the female, who sometimes eats part of them for extra calcium. The chicks hatch naked, and are totally dependent on their parents for food and warmth.
Mother birds only spend a few days sleeping with the babies after they hatch. For the most part, they do not sleep in the nest with their babies unless the temperature is low enough to jeopardize the survival rate of the babies. The young grow feathers quickly and soon are able to retain their own heat.
On The Nest
Mother robins may start incubating their eggs during the evening after the second egg is laid, or after all the eggs are laid. They sit on the eggs for 12 to 14 days. The female usually does all the incubating.
It takes the babies about 2 weeks to leave the nest, or "fledge," and then they usually stay with their parents for two or three weeks after that. The father continues to feed them while the mother starts incubating a new brood of eggs. Q: Where do robins go when they die?
Both parents feed the babies. A robin might make 100 feeding visits to its nest each day. There's no time to go far on a food hunt. That's why a good territory is important to robins in spring.
On average, though, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young. Only 25 percent of those fledged young survive to November. From that point on, about half of the robins alive in any year will make it to the next.
While robins might repair or build on top of a previous nest, most of them build a new nest. This is best for many reasons. A used nest is a mess, stretched out and often home to insects or parasites and possibly poop. Take the nest down and the site will be ready for the next robin.
By the time the new eggs hatch, the older babies are ready to be on their own, and the male is able to help feed the new babies. Robins nest twice and sometimes even three times in a single season. By sharing responsibilities, they can raise as many as twelve healthy babies every year.
Robins begin breeding when they're about one year old and usually live for two years, though one wild robin was recorded to be 14 years old. The American robin's population is large and appears to be increasing.
If you do not see any adults near the nest and there is no progress (no hatched eggs, etc.) after four (or more) weeks, the nest may have been abandoned. For a nest containing young, often nestlings may appear to be abandoned when they are actually not.
When fledglings leave their nest they rarely return, so even if you see the nest it's not a good idea to put the bird back in—it will hop right back out. Usually there is no reason to intervene at all beyond putting the bird on a nearby perch out of harm's way and keeping pets indoors.
A. Baby robins jump from their nest when they are about 13 days old (but the range is 9 - 16 days old). A. After leaving the nest (fledging), it takes another 10-15 days for babies to become strong fliers and independent birds.
Robin eggs
The female incubates the eggs over a two-week period and both parents care for the young. The eggs take around two weeks to hatch and the chicks will fledge when they are about 12 to 14 days old.
While robins might repair or build on top of a previous nest, most of them build a new nest. This is best for many reasons. A used nest is a mess, stretched out and often home to insects or parasites and possibly poop. Take the nest down and the nest site will be ready for the next robin family.
The more time you spend with them, the more your Robins will become familiar with you and grow trust. In time they will be confident enough to eat from your hand. To gain their trust, place their favourite food 2 - 3 meters away from you and let them get used to eating near you.
They both incubated the eggs, too. Mom and Dad take turns during the day, but at night it's usually Dad who takes over. And once the babies have hatched, both parents help feed them.
A robin's lifespan is just 13 months on average due to high mortality among robins in their first year. Once they've passed that barrier, they stand a much better chance of surviving for quite a while - the record currently stands at 19 years.
It's perfectly safe to pick up a fallen nestling and put it back in the nest, or to carry a fledgling out of danger and place it in a tree or shrub.
In the majority of nest-building species the female does most or all of the nest construction, in others both partners contribute; sometimes the male builds the nest and the hen lines it. In some polygynous species, however, the male does most or all of the nest building.
The baby robins will never return to this nest! Nests for most birds are NOT houses at all--they're just baby cradles. Now the babies will start sleeping in sheltered tree branches, as adult robins do. See the next Robin Nest Photo Lesson and discussion of today's questions.
If there are no eggs or babies, you can just lift the birds nest and clear it from the area, making sure to remove all the nesting material and then toss the material in the trash. You should then clean the area with a bleach/water spray mixture.
If a nest is found with no eggs or chicks in it, leave it alone. Other reasons why a nest is abandoned with eggs or hatchlings is that the eggs may be unfertilized, a predator has been seen in the area, or the robin cannot find the nest since the tree lines have been disturbed.
You may be surprised to learn that it hasn't always been the same pair! Mortality rate is high in our familiar songbirds. For robins, it's around 50% each year once young birds have fledged. If a robin survives to midwinter, it lives an average of 1.7 years after that.
It's common for young robins to end up on the ground, partly because fledglings have sparse feathers. If find see fledglings and determine they need your help, handle them properly and provide food that fulfills young robins' nutritional needs.