Robins are unusual because both the male and female sing - in most birds, only the males do. They sing in winter as well as summer, while most other birds are quiet, which is why robins are linked with Christmas and the cold months in Britain. Their song is the soundtrack of a frosty British morning.
Robins are very brave around people. If you start digging in the garden, a robin will often arrive within minutes and sit on the spade or fence beside you. This is because, long before there were gardeners, robins followed wild boar and badgers around to grab the worms turned up in the freshly dug earth. To a robin, you are basically a friendly badger.
A robin's red front is also a warning. To other robins, it means 'this patch belongs to me'. They are very fierce about their tiny territories - even though they look so sweet. In spring you might see two robins facing each other with their red chests puffed out, both telling each other to go away.
Robins build cup-shaped nests in the funniest places: in old kettles, in wellies left in the shed, in coat pockets, in the engines of old cars. Anywhere covered and tucked-away will do. Once the female lays her eggs, she sits on them for about two weeks before they hatch.