Day 179: There is always some amount of confusion when I say "robin" to any of my English/Australian/New Zealander friends because the bird they call by the same name is a different breed of cat...er, of feathered friend. The European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) is significantly smaller and cuter, and belongs to the family Muscicapidae which was split taxonomically with Turdidae in 1998, thanks to DNA research done by Charles Sibley (who, incidentally, is not related to ornithologist David Sibley). Our American Robin (Turdus migratorius, above) belongs to the sister family, Turdidae. To put the two species in perspective for my global readership, a European Robin weighs less than an ounce. An American Robin may weigh in at three ounces or more! The song of the European Robin is more melodious and varied than that of the American Robin which, right before sunrise outside my bedroom window, consists of an ad-nauseam repeat of "Cheery-up, cheery-up, cheery-up, TWEET!" which serves as my springtime alarm clock.
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