European Robin

The European robin (Erithacus rubecula), known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in Ireland and Britain, is a small insectivorous bird that belongs to the chat subfamily of the Old World flycatcher family. About 12.5-14.0 cm (5.0-5.5 in) in length, the male and female are similar in colouration. It is found in Europe to western Siberia.

Name, taxonomy and systematics
The European robin was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Motacilla rubecula. Its epithet rubecula is the diminutive of the Latin word ruber meaning "red". The genus Erithacus was introduced by French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1800. Erithacus is from Ancient Greek which refers to an unknown bird which is now known as a robin. the distinctive orange breast of both sexes gave the European robin's original name "redbreast". In the 15th century, it became popular to give human names to familiar, the bird came to be known as the robin redbreast. As a given name Robin was originally a diminutive of Robert. Other older English names for the bird include ruddock and robinet. In 19th century American literature, the bird was called the English robin. Dutch roodborstje, French rouge-gorge, German Rotkehlchen, Italian pettirosso, Spanish petirrojo and Portuguese pisco-de-peito-ruivo all refer to the distinctively coloured front.