American Robin (Turdus migratorius) in January

Observation by Jeffrey Brooks:

While teleworking, I looked out the window to see a red breast light in a tree in the front yard in Anchorage, Alaska in January. It was an American robin. This is the earliest I have seen one in Anchorage, and I have been watching since February 2008. I hope it finds something to eat. Keep on watching.

Comments from LEO Editors:

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, American Robins (Turdus migratorius) are migratory birds that normally arrive in Alaska when temperatures are above 36 degrees in the spring. Their movements may also be influenced by the availability of food, including berries such as chokecherries, hawthorn, dogwood, and juniper.

Breeding territory for American robin extends north to the Brooks Range in Alaska, but year-round populations remain on Kodiak Island and along the Gulf of Alaska coast stretching down to Southeast Alaska. Temperatures in Anchorage were unusually warm for the month of January, reaching above 40 degrees Fahrenheit on some days, which may have inspired some robins to travel beyond their normal winter range. Observers participating in E-bird, an online bird tracking platform, have recorded American robin appearances in Alaska during the months of December through February. The majority of these observations were made in Southcentral Alaska, with some extending as far north as Fairbanks.