Robins roost in Kuujjuaq as climate changes

KUUJJUAQ – Along with the honking of Canada geese and snow geese, the calls of songbirds now announce the arrival of spring in Kuujjuaq.

Last Friday afternoon, when a warm sun was shining and backyard thermometer showed a temperature of 13.9 C in the community, a robin was singing its heart out on an electrical wire nearby the Tulattavik hospital.

Robins appear to be putting down roots in Kuujjuaq because when robins sing, it means they plan to nest in the area.

Robins are not strangers to the Ungava Bay coast of Nunavik, where they are known as "ikkariliit" (a name which echoes the sound of the robin's song).

However, most bird population maps and reference books say there are no robins at all in Nunavik or Nunavut, where they have also been spotted from Iqaluit to Kugluktuk.

Robins generally migrate north along with average temperatures of 2.2 C.

The American robin, whose species is called Turdus migratorius, usually breeds north to Alaska and across Canada south of the treeline.

Some robins don't migrate at all, but those that do may expand their ranges if they find adequate food in a new place.

Their preferred diet consists of blossoms, insects and berries, and they can get quite plump when food is abundant.

The male robin has a bright red chest, a black head, white eye rings, a yellow bill, a black and white-streaked throat, and a grey back.

The female's colouring is somewhat duller.

Robins are fairly large birds, measuring about 25 centimetres from beak to tail.