CreatureData

European robin

Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a species in the family Muscicapidae, order Passeriformes. It has been recorded in 95 countries, most often in Sweden, United Kingdom and France. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

European robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Photo: Francis C. Franklin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the European robin

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
21 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Egg incubation
15 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
2src for Young per litter or clutch
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Recorded in
95 countriessrc for Recorded in

How big is the European robin?

EUROPEAN ROBIN · WINGSPAN 21 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 21 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the European robin is about 12% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Photos of the European robin

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

European robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the European robin live?

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF. This shows where the species has been recorded, including zoos and introduced populations. It is not a definitive range.

The European robin has been recorded in 95 countries, from 8,684,765 records.

W. Sahara: 3 recordsCanada: 8 recordsUnited States of America: 15 recordsKazakhstan: 546 recordsUzbekistan: 78 recordsSudan: 1 recordRussia: 24,030 recordsNorway: 468,303 recordsGreenland: 5 recordsSouth Africa: 1 recordBrazil: 1 recordFrance: 1,486,823 recordsMauritania: 2 recordsIsrael: 35,311 recordsLebanon: 778 recordsPalestine: 3,053 recordsTunisia: 871 recordsAlgeria: 1,455 recordsJordan: 308 recordsUnited Arab Emirates: 364 recordsQatar: 39 recordsKuwait: 969 recordsIraq: 201 recordsOman: 8 recordsThailand: 1 recordSouth Korea: 7 recordsMongolia: 17 recordsPakistan: 5 recordsAfghanistan: 4 recordsTajikistan: 26 recordsKyrgyzstan: 93 recordsTurkmenistan: 8 recordsIran: 4,200 recordsSyria: 22 recordsArmenia: 755 recordsSweden: 1,752,223 recordsBelarus: 4,030 recordsUkraine: 23,999 recordsPoland: 49,418 recordsAustria: 30,610 recordsHungary: 11,703 recordsMoldova: 501 recordsRomania: 4,721 recordsLithuania: 5,277 recordsLatvia: 3,813 recordsEstonia: 6,235 recordsGermany: 607,847 recordsBulgaria: 12,988 recordsGreece: 24,746 recordsTurkey: 39,099 recordsAlbania: 1,007 recordsCroatia: 10,915 recordsSwitzerland: 48,282 recordsLuxembourg: 70,717 recordsBelgium: 302,471 recordsNetherlands: 65,931 recordsPortugal: 266,206 recordsSpain: 710,813 recordsIreland: 82,643 recordsChina: 237 recordsItaly: 69,898 recordsDenmark: 17,765 recordsUnited Kingdom: 1,595,579 recordsIceland: 927 recordsAzerbaijan: 1,076 recordsGeorgia: 3,510 recordsSlovenia: 8,939 recordsFinland: 554,183 recordsSlovakia: 12,208 recordsCzechia: 61,320 recordsJapan: 14 recordsSaudi Arabia: 69 recordsCyprus: 3,275 recordsMorocco: 3,355 recordsEgypt: 193 recordsLibya: 817 recordsBosnia and Herz.: 651 recordsMacedonia: 986 recordsSerbia: 8,321 recordsMontenegro: 1,197 records
  • None on record
  • 1–9
  • 10–99
  • 100–999
  • 1,000+
records per country · small islands are not drawn at this scale

The same figures as a list, most records first

  1. Sweden1,752,223
  2. United Kingdom1,595,579
  3. France1,486,823
  4. Spain710,813
  5. Germany607,847
  6. Finland554,183
  7. Norway468,303
  8. Belgium302,471
  9. Portugal266,206
  10. Åland Islands156,944
  11. Ireland82,643
  12. Luxembourg70,717
  13. Italy69,898
  14. Netherlands65,931
  15. Czechia61,320
  16. Poland49,418
  17. Switzerland48,282
  18. Türkiye39,099
  19. Israel35,311
  20. Austria30,610
  21. Greece24,746
  22. Russia24,030
  23. Ukraine23,999
  24. Denmark17,765
  25. Bulgaria12,988
  26. Slovakia12,208
  27. Hungary11,703
  28. Isle of Man11,038
  29. Croatia10,915
  30. Slovenia8,939
  31. Serbia8,321
  32. Estonia6,235
  33. Lithuania5,277
  34. Romania4,721
  35. Iran4,200
  36. Belarus4,030
  37. Latvia3,813
  38. Georgia3,510
  39. Morocco3,355
  40. Cyprus3,275
Show 55 more countries
  1. Palestinian Territories3,053
  2. Jersey1,708
  3. Algeria1,455
  4. Malta1,442
  5. Montenegro1,197
  6. Faroe Islands1,157
  7. Azerbaijan1,076
  8. Albania1,007
  9. Guernsey996
  10. North Macedonia986
  11. Kuwait969
  12. Gibraltar928
  13. Iceland927
  14. Tunisia871
  15. Libya817
  16. Lebanon778
  17. Armenia755
  18. Andorra750
  19. Bosnia & Herzegovina651
  20. Kazakhstan546
  21. Moldova501
  22. United Arab Emirates364
  23. Jordan308
  24. China237
  25. Kosovo214
  26. Monaco208
  27. Iraq201
  28. Egypt193
  29. Liechtenstein185
  30. San Marino95
  31. Kyrgyzstan93
  32. Uzbekistan78
  33. Saudi Arabia69
  34. Qatar39
  35. Vatican City31
  36. Svalbard & Jan Mayen30
  37. Tajikistan26
  38. Syria22
  39. Mongolia17
  40. United States15
  41. Japan14
  42. Bahrain13
  43. Canada8
  44. Oman8
  45. Turkmenistan8
  46. South Korea7
  47. Greenland5
  48. Pakistan5
  49. Afghanistan4
  50. Western Sahara3
  51. Mauritania2
  52. Brazil1
  53. Sudan1
  54. Thailand1
  55. South Africa1

What is the European robin?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The European robin (Erithacus rubecula), known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in the British Isles, is a small insectivorous passerine bird belonging to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found across Europe, as far east as Western Siberia, and as far south as North Africa. It is sedentary in the west and south of its range, and migratory in the north and east of its range where winters are harsher.

It is 12.5–14.0 cm (4.9–5.5 in) in length. The male and female are identical in plumage, with an orange-toned red breast and face lined with grey, brown upper-parts and a whitish belly. Juveniles are distinct, being freckled brown all over and lacking the red breast. First-winter immatures resemble the adults, except they have more obvious yellow-brown tips to the wing covert feathers, which are inconspicuous or absent in adults.

Wikipedia contributors, “European robin”, Wikipedia (revision 1384388882), retrieved 2026-11-11. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0; this block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the European robin sound like?

Credit at source · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the European robin endangered?

The European robin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the European robin classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyMuscicapidae
  6. genusErithacus
  7. SpeciesErithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Motacilla rubecula, Motacilla spec

Names in other languages (17)
  • rouge-gorge familierFrench
  • Pisco-de-peito-ruivoPortuguese
  • roodborstDutch
  • rödhakeSwedish
  • ヨーロッパコマドリJapanese
  • 欧亚鸲Chinese
  • أبو الحناء الأوروبيArabic
  • зарянкаRussian
  • RotkehlchenGerman
  • Rougegorge familierFrench
  • Petirrojo europeoSpanish
  • PettirossoItalian
  • RougegorgeFrench
  • RobinEnglish
  • أبو الحنَّاء الأوروبيArabic
  • أبو الحِنArabic
  • أبو الحنَّةArabic

GBIFWikidataWikipediaNCBI TaxonomyITISiNaturalistWoRMS

Relatives of the European robin

Other species in the same class Aves.

LC, Least Concern
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Anatidae

LC, Least Concern
Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Bald eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Accipitridae

CompareEuropean robin vs MallardEuropean robin vs Bald eagleEuropean robin vs Peregrine falconEuropean robin vs Common kingfisher

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the European robin?

An adult European robin has a wingspan of 21 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Where does the European robin live?

The European robin has openly licensed sighting records from 95 countries on GBIF. The most records come from Sweden, United Kingdom, France, Spain and Germany. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

Is the European robin endangered?

The European robin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the European robin?

The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) belongs to the family Muscicapidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). European robin (Erithacus rubecula). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/european-robin

MLA

“European robin (Erithacus rubecula).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/european-robin.

BibTeX
@misc{european_robin_2026,
  title = {European robin (Erithacus rubecula)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/european-robin},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}