Have problem with Robins...strange behavior........?

Question

While viviting a friend, they asked me if I had ever dealt with strange or odd behaviors in wildlife. And I said the ususal "rabies, male bird aggression,birds of prey with judgement problems and such...why? Then they took me to a bedroom window that holds a window airconditioner and adked me to watch carefully. I observed several Robins land on the airconditioner and start pecking at the window putty around the panes of glass. They would then either drop it or carry it off. Other Robins seemed quite interested in trying to get in past the airconditioner. This I have never seen before and I am quite perplexed as to why the Robins are doing this. Birds do use sand and fine grainy rocks to help crush seeds in their gullet, but the chunks of putty are too large for such use for these birds. Anybody seen this behavior in the Robins in their area?

We had a red-tailed hawk who would chase small birds with a vengence. Prob. he couldn't turn as fast and would hit the house.

Answer 1

I don't think the Robins are trying to get in. More likely there is some mineral in the putty that they are craving. Birds will consume clay as an anti-toxin and salts of different kinds to get minerals in their diet. It is an interesting phenomenon.

Answer 2

Would the putty, before the birds pull is out, happen to have a long, worm-like shape? Would the smaller pieces look like the rounded, soft bodies of grubs?

I'll bet the Robins think they've hit the motherlode and are sorely disappointed when it turns out not to be a worm after all. The ones flying away are probably filling up their chicks with little bit's of putty.

Answer 3

Just a guess, but perhaps they have identified this loose putty as a nesting material.