This is bird note. The American Robin rates as one of our best-known birds.

The roots of its common name lie in Europe, though, and a distant relative, a bird not much bigger than a chickadee, the European robin.

Like the American Robin, the European Robin

Like the American Robin, the European Robin is a bird of yards and gardens, and has a red-orange breast, so it's often called Robin Redbreast, or just Robin.

And it's something of a cultural touchstone in the UK, the Robin Redbreast seasonal arrival

harkens spring.

It's been said to signal good luck, and its likeness turns up everywhere, from Mother

Goose rhymes, Peter Rabbit stories, and whiskey labels, to postage stamps and Christmas cards.

The little Robin pops up in European folklore, too,

including Norse mythology, where it was sacred to mighty Thor.

And as for its breast color,

one account has it that when the Robin visited souls in purgatory

to refresh them with water,

its breast was scorched to its current shade.

On at least two occasions, the Robin Redbreast

has won the popular vote to become the UK's

unofficial national bird.

So clearly, although small, it packs a mighty, symbolic punch.

For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.