Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Robin: Robert Kennedy, RSPB Images

Where to find them: Hedgerows, parks and gardens

When to hear them: All year round

Diet: Worms, seeds, fruits, insects

The red-breasted robin has been voted the nation’s favourite bird.

In London, it has taken to a 24-hour urban lifestyle and can often be heard singing at night next to streetlights. As we enter spring and the breeding season, these night-time serenades will be more and more common. So pleasant is its nocturnal song, in fact, that it is often mistaken for the much rarer nightingale.

Long-regarded a friend to man, robins will fearlessly follow gardeners about and eat the grubs and worms that are turfed out of the soil. They will often stay in one garden their entire life.

Top 10 most spotted rating:

Croydon: 7th

Lewisham: 8th

Tower Hamlets: 9th

Hackney: 8th

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