Britain has spoken – and chosen a vicious murdering bully as its national bird

[T.C.]

How appropriate!

_http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/11/british-national-bird-robin-murderous-bully?CMP=fb_gu

The robin is brutish, ruthless, and ready to ruck. Could it be that, over gentler contenders, we have plumped for the bird that we deserve?

So we’ve chosen a vicious murdering bully for our national bird? It’s bad enough that we probably plumped for our self-important red-breasted friend because the Victorians sentimentalised the robin as a symbol of Christmas. Yet I suspect that the main reason it has been chosen is because it’s the one bird most people can actually recognise.

Couldn’t we have gone for something more imaginative? Where was the raven, for instance, that super-intelligent, glossy black gothic spirit of place, without which the Tower of London and the monarchy would fall? (Although that legend turns out to be another Victorian invention too, darn it).

Highly aggressive and territorial, its sweet song is actually the avian equivalent of a foul-mouthed 'get orf my land'
As a fervent beach-bird botherer, I’d have opted for something truly symbolic of our island’s shores – such as the philopatric and glorious oystercatcher, with its resplendent red bill; the longest living wader, reaching up to 45 years old, a stalwart guardian of the British coastline. Or how about the cuckoo, the time-honoured signifier of spring and usurper of other birds’ nests – surely a suitable symbol of our colonial past?

It seems remiss to ignore the eider duck, too, since we can claim it as the first bird ever to be protected by law. Back in the 670s, St Cuthbert declared the eiders of the Farne Islands should be safe from predation and, presumably, would-be quilt-makers. This resolute sea duck with its outrageous pistachio-green neck also speaks to a camp British sense of humour, as anyone who’s ever heard its ah-ooo call will testify; it sounds exactly like Frankie Howerd.

In the interests of conservation, we might have picked a more endangered bird (the RSPB estimates that there are more than six million breeding pairs of robins in the UK). The humble house sparrow, for instance, a once common species whose drastically dwindling numbers could really do with the publicity. Or how about the feral pigeon or herring gull – street-smart birds far more in keeping with modern Britain?

But we’re stuck with the robin. True, it is embedded in our collective cultural memory, back to medieval times and perhaps beyond. In fact, we liked it so much that, up until the last century, we used to eat it – often in pies. Mark Cocker, in his wonderful Birds Britannica, waxes lyrical over a bird which got William Blake’s dander up: “A robin redbreast in a cage / puts all Heaven in a rage.” But Cocker also notes that the cheeky bird, which perches on my spade as I dig in the garden, has also long been considered a harbinger of death. Doesn’t sound so good now, does it?

Highly aggressive and territorial, that sweet song fluting from your fence is actually the avian equivalent of a foul-mouthed “get orf my land”. Males will peck at rivals’ napes to sever their spinal cords; 10% of all adult robin deaths are robin-on-robin, red-on-red incidents. They also launch unprovoked attacks on other, innocent species, lashing out with razor-sharp claws.

This ain’t no garden idyll, bro; it’s turf warfare. Even that pumped-up red chest has nothing to do with smoochy mating rituals. It’s solely a signal of being ready to ruck, a ruthless instinct to defend territory. Robins literally see red. When researching his revelatory book The Life of the Robin, in the 1930s, David Lack discovered his subjects would even go for stuffed robins or mere tufts of red feathers.

And you’re telling me this is a good role model for England? A hooligan bird that puffs up big, throws its weight about, jealously guards its patch and … Oh, right, I see what you mean now.

 

[luke wilson]

spoken – and chosen a vicious murdering bully as its national bird

....who is Britain? Who has spoken?

Is this symbol meant to represent the people's choice? How was it selected? Who decided? Who IS Britain?

 

[Michael B-C]

Hi Luke Wilson

The Vote National Bird Campaign was 'co-ordinated' by David Lindo, The Urban Birder (www.theurbanbirder.com) via the following:
http://www.votenationalbird.com/

Who he? Well if you try to go to his personal website it appears to have been suspended!?

Interestingly the campaign states the following:

INFORMATION COLLECTION AND USE

We collect and use visitor information from Our customers and visitors to the National Bird Vote website as follows:

'... We may analyse your use of the services for marketing purposes, including, but not limited to your browsing history and use of Our websites.

In certain circumstances We may need to pass personal information relating to you to other third parties where We are required by law to do so.

We may also use information about you in the general operation of Our business including your email address.

We respect your privacy and will not rent, sell or share personal information about you with other people or non-affiliated companies without your express permission...'

So it’s the usual marketing driven information collection service.

The website does not say how many votes were cast but it does say that the top 10 placed birds were:

1. Robin
2. Barn Owl
3. Blackbird
4. Wren
5. Red kite
6. Kingfisher
7. Mute swan
8. Blue tit
9. Hen Harrier
10. Puffin

So 5 for common or garden suburbanites and 5 more 'esoteric' likes by real twitchers I suspect!

I think the Guardian is being a little obtuse in its comments and the article is riddled with subjectivity and projection. Yes the Robin is a fierce little competitor but it is not known as the gardener’s friend for nothing. Its plucky courage and persistence makes it a welcome face in any garden. It has long been more than just a Victorian Christmas Card cast off playing a symbolic role in many an English and Irish folk tale as well as in such much loved and spiritually profound children's tales as The Secret Garden

Here's a link to some of those connections:
https://eklogue.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/robin-redbreast-in-literature-and-myth/

Not my favourite bird (I'd go for a kingfisher, peregrine, golden eye or a swallow) by any means but still a pleasing sight on any day of the year.

 

[Michael B-C]

Perhaps slightly off topic - the following ridiculously hysterical piece from the Daily Mail highlights just how disconnected people are from the reality of nature and how birds live to survive. A mother owl was broadcast killing one of its offspring and feeding it to the other chicks - twitter twitted as delusional adults complained about the broadcasting of such violence and the harm it would do to children! What can you say!?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3121198/Springwatch-viewers-horrified-footage-owl-ripped-apart.html

Interesting comment at the end from naturalist:

'Perhaps the mother took this drastic action because she instinctively knew her youngest would not survive.

'They have struggled to bring in enough prey for their young. Sacrificing the smallest owlet gave the others a much-needed meal.'