Does a Robin Cock Its Head to Listen?
Does a Robin Cock Its Head to Listen? A robin does not cock its head to listen. It does so in order to see well. The robin’s eyes, like the eyes of most other birds, are on the sides of its head, far apart from each other.
The robin can see an object best when just one eye is focused on it. (The hearing of the robin is not so keen that it can hear the worm.)
When robins cock their heads, they’re actually using one eye to look for worms in their underground tunnels. (The other eye is focused above, so they can spot predators, too!)
On spring days, the robin busily searches the ground for worms. It hops about, then stops and cocks its head to one side. Suddenly, it darts at the ground, tugs violently, and pulls out a worm that had been feeding near the mouth of its burrow.