Bossing it …

September 2024

Juvenile robin in mid-moult

Birds moult each year. 

Most adults moult most of their feathers in the late summer, early autumn.Juvenile

It’s hugely draining and makes them especially vulnerable to predators.

So, garden stalwarts like our national bird, the robin (Erithacus rubecula ) for the duration of their moult ‘disappear’ into the undergrowth and shrubs, skulking while they grow their new feathers.

When they do reappear it is tentatively and without that robin attitude that sees them asserting themselves over other birds.