2 squabbling female robins, 8 eggs, 1 nest: Unusual solution to 'housing crisis' thrills bird watchers

Kendra Seguin · CBC News

· Posted: May 20, 2025 4:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Finding a robin's nest connected the beforehand structure was thing caller for St. Thomas, Ont., resident Debra Copeland, but uncovering a nest shared by 2 squabbling pistillate robins, 8 eggs and a mates visiting antheral birds was a antithetic story. 

During a emblematic spring, Copeland said she sees nary much than 5 airy bluish eggs successful a robin's nest. That's wherefore she was amazed to spot much packed into a marque caller nest supra her structure airy astatine the extremity of April, and put up a camera to investigate. 

"I was shocked and amazed that by the night, determination were 2 females incubating the nest astatine the aforesaid time," she said, adding that the narration was tenuous astatine first. 

"At the beginning, you could archer they were precise unhappy with 1 different … They would wound each other's beaks, peck astatine each other, they'd leap connected apical of each different to get the different to alert distant and sometimes it would work." 

"But, I deliberation that these conscionable mightiness beryllium the astir stubborn and devoted robin mamas that person ever existed, due to the fact that neither of them were consenting to springiness up," Copeland said. 

After 3 days of fighting, the 2 pistillate birds yet decided to enactment unneurotic to rise their eggs successful the shared nest, she said: they instrumentality turns watching and feeding the now-hatched radical of babies.

"They seldom squabble. They astir look similar they are ace bonded and benignant of emotion each different due to the fact that they snuggle up unneurotic successful the nest," she said. 

The behaviour is antithetic for robins but not wholly unheard of, according to Ontario Nature enforcement manager Andres Jimenez. 

"If you deliberation astir this from the lens of having a precise desirable antheral successful a fantastic territory wherever determination are fewer places for a harmless nest, it would assistance the females beryllium inclined to stock a nest," said Jimenez. "I notation to it arsenic a lodging crisis."

While the parent birds connected Copeland's structure stock the parenting duties, Jimenez said nest "helpers" – the word for birds who assistance successful raising babies who are not needfully their ain offspring – tin run successful antithetic ways successful antithetic relationships.

"There are birds who did not laic eggs and help, determination are instances of a dove and robin laying eggs successful the accidental nest and feeding each the chicks … determination are instances of immoderate birds who hold their reproduction to assistance their parents into rearing different birds erstwhile they travel backmost from migration," helium said. "Everything is possible."

"[Robins] are adaptable, they're flexible, they lick problems successful ways that we inactive cannot afloat explain," Jimenez said. 

How galore dads?

On Copeland's porch, yet six of the eggs hatched, though 1 of the fledglings was pushed retired of the nest and died implicit the agelong weekend, leaving the moms with 5 birds to raise. 

"It's a very, precise choky surviving situation. They are rather packed successful determination … you tin spot them flapping their wings and trying to propulsion each different astir truthful they tin get space," Copeland said, adding that she built a brushed landing pad nether the nest and often checks to marque definite nary others autumn out.

There is besides a antheral vertebrate oregon 2 successful the picture, Copeland said. While she is unsure precisely however galore males are involved, she has recorded astatine slightest 1 bringing backmost nutrient to the co-habiting females.

"I person a beauteous beardown feeling that there's really 2 full couples, truthful that makes it adjacent much absorbing due to the fact that it's not similar 1 antheral has babies with some of them, it means for immoderate crushed the females were prompted to stock this nest," she said. "It's similar 1 large household stuck successful 1 house."

The communicative has gained traction successful vertebrate watching Facebook groups, with hundreds of radical interacting with Copeland's regular photos, videos and updates from the nest.

"I deliberation it's truthful unique, antithetic and odd, and there's tons of questions, truthful it makes radical privation to puzzle it out," Copeland said. "I deliberation we besides privation to spot them succeed. We privation to spot them beryllium successful a concern that's hard oregon hard, and we are each rooting for them to bash well."

LISTEN | Hear what it's similar to location this ample robin family: