Not many bird species - other than the American Robin can lay claim to nesting on both the Arctic tundra as well as Manhattan rooftops. If you open a window on a higher floor in the spring or summer, you can often hear the recognizable song of an American Robin even with all the background urban noises. Small gardens with lawns and shrubs grow on the roofs of many high-rise apartments in Manhattan, and quite surprisingly these gardens are sufficient to support nesting robins. Rooftops in Manhattan are probably not the best place to raise a brood of robins, since human residents have reported fledglings entering their apartments through chimneys. But don't worry about robins – their populations are expanding. You can learn more about this familiar songbird in this new species profile of the American Robin .

Photo © William C. Webb