SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A robin appeared to pose for a photo just days before the first day of spring.

Robert Bye of Sioux Falls said he took the photo in his backyard. The bird was perched in a Cleveland pear tree, he said.

While robins may appear with the arrival of spring on Monday, March 20, they may not be yet frequently singing.

They may start singing toward the end of winter but the birds usually start singing in the spring to as “hormones” kick in, according to the American Bird Conservancy.

The Dickinson County (Iowa) Conservation Board said in 2019 robins will sing to defend their territory.

An increasing number of studies show that both female and male robins sing.

Many robins will migrate to warmer climates in the winter. When they return, the males typically return first.

Robins have also been known to adapt to their seasonal surroundings.

Varying numbers overwinter in the state, with more found in the southern part of South Dakota, according to the South Dakota Birds website.

Food is the priority during winter. The American Bird Conservancy said robins will move from one place to another in search of food during the winter. They can live on various berries such as hollies and junipers. A sustained winter storm may send them farther away.

Robins that do spend time in the north during the winter are often quieter and not as easy to see as during warm weather.

The first robin of spring may be a bird that has wintered only a few miles away, according to the National Audobon Society.