Photo of the Month: American Robin
07/31/2009
This cheerful fellow was snapped by Caje Rodrigues in her Ottawa backyard. The photo perfectly captures a familiar summer moment of a bird refreshing itself in a birdbath on a hot afternoon. The beads of water on the American Robin’s breast and the gleam in its eye speak to the delight of such backyard encounters. Thanks for sharing it with us, Caje!
Caje’s second photo shows the Robin’s nictitating membrane as it splashes in the water. Nictitating membranes are transparent or translucent third eyelids common in birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. They move horizontally across the eye to protect it from water or other foreign objects, and to spread moisture across the eye.
