# Why is the robin hurling itself against my door?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 9, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310 "2012-04-09T22:22:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/1 "2012-04-09T22:22:53Z")
A robin has been perched on the railing of my balcony for at least an hour this evening. Every couple minutes or so he up and flings himself at the glass door, and slams himself into it like a punk rock fan or something, with an audible impact. He squeaks when he hits (I guess it must hurt). Then returns to his perch, only to repeat it a little later, over and over.
Has something gone haywire in his little bird brain? Or has the angle of the sun low in the west made his own reflection in the glass seem like a rival male? I mean, WTF? I don’t want him hurting himself over nothing.
---
### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/2 "2012-04-09T22:25:59Z")
it is a bird brain, it is attacking a perceived rival.
---
### Author:  [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/3 "2012-04-09T22:26:56Z")
Yep. Rival male. Put some newspaper, cardboard, or solid object over it, and he should stop.
---
### Author:  [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/4 "2012-04-09T22:31:02Z")
I shooed him away, feeling bad about how he was using my place to self-harm. Must have a hell of a headache by now.
Damn, he came back and did it again!
---
### Author:  [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/5 "2012-04-09T22:44:44Z")
As the weather warms up, green leaves and shoots appear, the hormone levels in the daffy little feather dough-heads rise. They’ll attack reflective lamp-posts, car windows, bald heads, or passing fire trucks. Must show off for the females, you know.
There’s also a rise in skateboarding accidents at local hospitals 😃
---
### Author:  [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/6 "2012-04-09T23:16:15Z")
Thanks for the tip, Noelq! I taped cardboard up there. He played mosh pit with the glass one more time, then finally left. I think the sun got so low that it wasn’t making the reflection the same way.
Oh s\*\*\* while I was typing that, he did it again!
> [@Noelq](#):
>
> As the weather warms up, green leaves and shoots appear, the hormone levels in the daffy little feather dough-heads rise. They’ll attack reflective lamp-posts, car windows, bald heads, or passing fire trucks. Must show off for the females, you know.
>
> There’s also a rise in skateboarding accidents at local hospitals 😃
LOL
---
### Author:  [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/7 "2012-04-09T23:27:44Z")
> [@Johanna](#):
>
> Thanks for the tip, Noelq! I taped cardboard up there. He played mosh pit with the glass one more time, then finally left. I think the sun got so low that it wasn’t making the reflection the same way.
>
> Oh s\*\*\* while I was typing that, he did it again!
Did you tape it on the outside of the glass?
---
### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/8 "2012-04-09T23:32:31Z")
He may be deterred by a picture of a really huge, ugly, menacing bird coming straight at him. If he still attacks it, he as no one to blame but himself.
---
### Author:  [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/9 "2012-04-10T00:00:30Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#):
>
> Did you tape it on the outside of the glass?
Yes. Although it was a wide area of glass that I didn’t have enough cardboard to cover it all. Actually, I think the last one I posted about was a different robin. His plumage was darker. They’ve all gone mad with springtime. Finally the sun has gone down and put a stop to this madness!
---
### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/10 "2012-04-10T00:12:25Z")
> [@Johanna](#):
>
> Finally the sun has gone down and put a stop to this madness!
No problem. Turn on the porch light.
---
### Author:  [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/11 "2012-04-10T00:30:59Z")
Last year a junco spent all day for days on end fighting his reflection in one of my windows. It was the second year in a row for him. I think it went on for weeks or maybe it just seemed like it. Very annoying noise and the window got all dirty with bird grease (or something).
---
### Author:  [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/12 "2012-04-10T03:33:38Z")
I’ve had Cardinals attacking my windows for about three years now. Surprisingly it’s a female this year. She should be building a nest, not attacking my windows.
---
### Author:  [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/13 "2012-04-10T04:12:05Z")
“I was the shadow of the waxwing slain
By the false azure in the windowpane;
I was the smudge of ashen fluff -and I
Lived on, flew on, in the reflected sky.
And from the inside, too, I’d duplicate
Myself, my lamp, an apple on a plate:
Uncurtaining the night, I’d let dark glass
Hang all the furniture above the grass…
–Vladimir Nabokov, _Pale Fire_
---
### Author:  [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/14 "2012-04-10T04:32:03Z")
Taping cardboad? What about video!?
---
### Author:  [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/15 "2012-04-10T07:23:01Z")
Maybe it thinks you stole its eggs and wants them back?
---
### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/16 "2012-04-10T07:48:18Z")
> [@Musicat](#):
>
> No problem. Turn on the porch light.
You are a very bad man, **Musicat**.
…but I laughed, so I guess that makes me…
---
### Author:  [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/17 "2012-04-10T12:05:09Z")
nm. not funny.
---
### Author:  [@The\_Great\_Cornholio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Cornholio)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/18 "2012-04-10T12:05:53Z")
Cut out a silhouette of a bird of prey as seen from below, paint it black, stick it on the inside of your window.
---
### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/19 "2012-04-10T12:15:00Z")
Could be worse. Wait till Batman shows up.
---
### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310/20 "2012-04-10T13:16:31Z")
A sparrow was doing this to one of my windows last year. I took down the suncatcher I had there, which had a picture of a chickadee on it. Problem solved.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-robin-hurling-itself-against-my-door/618310.md?page=2)