What they like

Messiness for a reason. Dense shrubs, ivy, hedges, woodpiles and a fringe of leaves under the hedge. Leave a corner “not quite tidy” and you’ve got a good chance of attracting a robin. In parks and yards: make a shrub strip with hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel and elder. In farmland: wide ditch banks, scrub along field margins and a few rough corners. And yes: in winter, please provide a dish of water that doesn’t freeze over.

Ecological importance

Eats insects, larvae, worms and spiders. In autumn and winter also berries and seeds. Cleans up the understory of your garden nicely and keeps soil life active. Is itself taken by sparrowhawk and house cat: shelter is therefore life-saving.

When in the Netherlands

All year round. Many robins breed here. Some go on holiday in autumn to Spain or Portugal, others stay. In winter they get company from robins from northern and eastern Europe.

Status

Common. Numbers will fluctuate, but it’s still doing well. Help it by creating structure: low, dense, messy, green.