Congratulations Philip Schofield! We asked what links the genus of the American Robin to the 12 Days of Christmas? Philip sent a textbook answer to our quiz, writing:
‘Four Colley Birds’. Colley means black, so four Blackbirds, in the same genus (Turdus) as the American Robin.
We are sure many of you knew this of course but we will be sending Philip his hat! Although people commonly now sing ‘four calling birds’, this is likely down to mis-hearing. The words to this song were first published in English in the late 1700s as a rhyme in a book called ‘Mirth without Mischief’. It appears to be derived from a much older but similar French ‘Les Douze Mois’. The tune most of us know now was written in 1905 by Frederic Austin, who adapted it from a traditional English folk melody.
Picture, American Robin Turdus migratorius by Becky Matsubara.
This loved and melodious thrush does not always live up to its scientific name, as some populations spend the winter very close to their breeding grounds.
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