Homeowners with robins in garden issued warning ahead of Christmas

Brits have been warned to be carful with their gardens this winter if they want to be visited by robins. The birds are a favourite in the UK, especially around Christmas time.

Cards and decorations are often adorned with pictures of the birds with their famous red breast. But one action could be detrimental to robins, experts have warned.

Homeowners are also being urged to be mindful of where they place bird feeders. The Woodland Trust said: "Ideally, bird feeders should be positioned around 2m away from dense vegetation.

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"This will reduce the chance of a surprise attack by cats, and means birds can still easily retreat to cover if needed." Despite being an incredibly tolerant species regarding nest disturbance, pruning plants can also have a major impact on the robin's hatching space. Robins builds up a cup-shaped nest using a mixture of findings from moss to grass, dead leaves and sticks, Express reports.

Breeding season can start as early as January for the winter bird, but often starts around March. They will begin to lay their eggs between April and August, with a clutch being made up of around 4-6 eggs.

It takes just 13 days for chicks to hatch, fleeing the nest approximately two weeks later. Robins are furious defenders of their territory, therefore pruning can trigger their territorial behaviour if their nest becomes exposed and they will be heard singing to defend their space.

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When out of their nests, the birds are usually quite tame and have no qualms with being close to humans. They typically eat fruits, seeds and insects as well as earthworms.

Despite being associated with Christmas, Robins are in fact threatened by harsh winters. The fiery little birds can lose up to 10 per cent of their body weight in just one single freezing night.

It’s therefore important they build up their fat reserves and bird lovers can help prevent this by offering specialist food.