Meet Mr. B: The White American Robin
By: Sarah Swistak
Updated: December 28, 2012
It is time to get wild in State College, and Robyn Graboski of Centre Wildlife Care has just the guest to do it: A White American Robin.
Mr. B, is a white American Robin that came into Centre Wildlife's Care when it was captured by a cat. Mr. B is now a non-releasable educational animal for the shelter.
Mr. B is a leucistic animal, which is similar to being albino, but different in that the eyes of the animal are not red or pink, and they can have some pigmentation in their skin, fur or feathers. Leucistic animals are rarer than albino animals.
White American Robins eat beetles, earthworms, caterpillars, fruits and berries. They are one of the earliest bird species to lay eggs, and are traditionally a sign of Spring.
They lay in nests consisting of long grass, twigs, paper, and feathers that are then smeared with mud and lined with a soft material.
They are among the first birds to sing at dawn, and have a complex and almost continuous song. They also have distinct calls to warn others of predators.
White American Robins are preyed upon by hawks, cats and snakes.
They typically have a wingspan of 12 to 16 inches.
White American Robins hunt by both sight and sound. Some experiments have shown that Robins are able to isolate a worm underground, simply by listening for it.
