Robin redbreasts are making a return to British gardens – however RSPB warns they’re nonetheless below menace

The red, red robin really is bob, bob, bobbing along. 

Numbers of robin redbreasts have risen 50 per cent in recent decades, and are now the sixth most-seen bird species in UK gardens.

While they are often depicted in snowy landscapes on Christmas cards, it is the milder winters of recent times that are thought to be the key to their proliferation.

The outlook is rather less rosy for other bird species, however, with the RSPB saying a third of them are now on the UK’s ‘red list’ indicating they are under threat.

James Heywood, of the British Trust for Ornithology, said data shows the number of robins increased in the UK by 49 per cent between 1967 and 2022.

He said: ‘Robin numbers tend to fluctuate quite a lot year-to-year. They, like a lot of small birds, are particularly sensitive to cold winters, but the overall trend is a good one. 

‘There was a notable drop between 2008 and 2012 in response to a succession of cold winters, and again in 2018 after the ‘Beast from the East’ cold spell.

‘Those big fluctuations are particularly seen in our rural habitats, but in our urban and suburban environments, these changes are much less severe.

‘Robins in our towns evidently benefit from the extra warmth provided by urban infrastructure.’

The RSPB said that the robin was the sixth most commonly spotted garden bird in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch, up from seventh place in previous years. 

Some 539,820 robins were spotted out of 9.7 million birds seen overall. Only sparrows, blue tits, starlings, woodpigeons and blackbirds were sighted more often.

RSPB spokesman Martin Fowlie said: ‘Robins are the UK’s favourite bird and thanks to that colourful orangey red breast they’re easy to recognise.’

Robins became especially associated with Christmas in Victorian times, when cards were delivered by postmen, nicknamed robin redbreasts, because of their bright red uniforms.