LOOK
WHEN YOU
American Robin Eggs
By Joshua Andersen
When you look at these American Robin eggs, you see national identity.
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The American Robin received the name "Robin" from English immigrants to the New World, as his North American bird resembled Robin Redbreast of the English homeland. The Robin Redbreast was deeply admired in Britain, and that admiration and respect were reflected on the American Robin by English colonists.
Residing in the entirety of the continental U.S. as well as the majority of Canada and much of Mexico, the common American Robin has come to influence multiple aspects of modern American culture and American idealism. References of the American Robin can be found poetry and comic strips, as well as in the art forms like music. Popular songs referencing American Robins include When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' along) and Rockin' Robin. These songs have been recorded by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and Michael Jackson.
As American Robins reside within a vast expanse of North America, they have proven to be influential in the study of diseases like Lime Disease and West Nile. Robins serve as important subjects of study in relation to research on the chemical compound DDT and its effect on wildlife populations.
In The Birds of America (Audubon, 1827-1838), artist and naturalist John James Audubon depicts the forms of American birds using oil paints. Altogether, Audubon painted 435 North American avian specimens. The American Robin appears on plate 131 of The Birds of America.
This March 21, 1990, edition of Calvin and Hobbes (Andrews McMeel Publishing by Bill Watterson depicts symbolism and superstition surrounding American Robins.
