American robins visit my yard often, but I didn’t realize they’re a different species from the European robin until I started drawing one. That’s when I noticed the differences in face color and the lower breast.
Despite sharing a name, they’re not closely related. The American robin belongs to the thrush family (Turdidae), while the European robin is part of the flycatcher family (Muscicapidae).
The shared name comes from early European settlers, who borrowed “robin” for a familiar-looking bird, even though the American species is larger.
Sketching trains my attention to detail; one reward is learning to see, understand and more.
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Love this drawing.
FWIW, American Robins are actually Thrushes