Not only can robins tell when the fruit is ripe, they enjoy the effects of fermented fruit. One early spring day I witnessed a drunk robin sloppily flying up to get more soggy last-year’s fruit from a Holly. It could hardly stay on the branch when it landed, but managed to get another berry, or two then gracelessly flopped to the ground when it tried to fly down. It took a minute for the bird to get to it’s feet and longer for it to decide to fly up to the same branch for another round. The bird was obviously inebriated.
Not only can robins tell when the fruit is ripe, they enjoy the effects of fermented fruit. One early spring day I witnessed a drunk robin sloppily flying up to get more soggy last-year’s fruit from a Holly. It could hardly stay on the branch when it landed, but managed to get another berry, or two then gracelessly flopped to the ground when it tried to fly down. It took a minute for the bird to get to it’s feet and longer for it to decide to fly up to the same branch for another round. The bird was obviously inebriated.