in this noisy world
by Kelly Westhoff
robins tune out everything
and listen for worms
Robins can often be seen hopping around the grassy lawns of parks and homes hunting for earthworms. But worms live underground, so how do robins know where they are? Robins can hear them! Well, not exactly. Worms don’t make noise, but their movements underground do stir up soil and roots and leaves, and that’s what robins can hear.
If you watch a robin hunt, you’ll likely notice that it will often pause and cock its head. Researchers think this is when a robin is “listening” for worms. In the past, scientists thought robins could see grass shift as a worm passed underneath and that this was how they found their prey.
However, in the 1990s, scientists captured some robins and created a variety of scenarios, like hiding worms deep in dirt under a layer of cardboard and playing loud music while robins hunted. The robins had the hardest time finding worms when their hearing was compromised, leading the scientists to believe the birds rely on their ears more than their eyes while seeking worms. When the study was done, all the robins were released back into the wild.
Further reading:
‘How Do American Robins Find Worms? Behold the Rich Sensory World of Birds’, 2026, McGlashen, A., Audubon Magazine, available: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/how-do-american-robins-find-worms-behold-rich-sensory-world-of-birds
Author bio:
Kelly Westhoff loves fitting words into the 5-7-5 format of traditional haiku. For her, haiku is a practice in mindfulness. She enjoys discovering parallels between her life and nature. She lives in Minnesota where the ever-changing seasons are a constantly-renewing source of inspiration. Find more of her haiku on Instagram @KellyWesthoffWrites.