The Adventures of Pinocchio - Wikipedia
The Adventures of Pinocchio (/pɪˈnoʊkioʊ/ pin-OH-kee-oh; Italian: Le avventure di Pinocchio. Storia di un burattino [le avvenˈtuːre di piˈnɔkkjo ˈstɔːrja di ...
blackbird
On his way home, Pinocchio meets a fox and a cat. The Cat pretends to be blind, and the Fox pretends to be lame; a white <anchor>blackbird</anchor> tries to warn Pinocchio of their lies, but the Cat eats it. The two convince Pinocchio that if he plants his coins in the Field of Miracles outside the city of Acchiappacitrulli, they will grow into a tree with gold coins. They stop for dinner at the Red Lobster Inn where they trick Pinocchio into paying for their meals and flee after telling the innkeeper to tell Pinocchio they would meet him at the Field of Miracles in the morning.
Common blackbird - Wikipedia
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## Contents

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- (Top)

- [1Taxonomy and systematics](#Taxonomy_and_systematics)Toggle Taxonomy and systematics subsection  - [1.1Subspecies](#Subspecies)
  - [1.2Similar species](#Similar_species)
- [2Description](#Description)
- [3Distribution and habitat](#Distribution_and_habitat)
- [4Behaviour and ecology](#Behaviour_and_ecology)Toggle Behaviour and ecology subsection  - [4.1Breeding](#Breeding)
  - [4.2Songs and calls](#Songs_and_calls)
  - [4.3Feeding](#Feeding)
  - [4.4Natural threats](#Natural_threats)
- [5Status and conservation](#Status_and_conservation)
- [6In popular culture](#In_popular_culture)
- [7References](#References)
- [8Further reading](#Further_reading)
- [9External links](#External_links)Toggle External links subsection  - [9.1Species information](#Species_information)
  - [9.2Sounds and videos](#Sounds_and_videos)
  - [9.3Images](#Images)

Toggle the table of contents

# Common blackbird

116 languages

- [Адыгэбзэ](https://kbd.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B7%D1%83%D1%83%D0%BF%D1%86%D3%80%D1%8D "БзуупцӀэ – Kabardian")
- [Alemannisch](https://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsel "Amsel – Alemannic")
- [አማርኛ](https://am.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%8B%A8%E1%8A%A0%E1%8B%8D%E1%88%AD%E1%88%B5%E1%8B%AB_%E1%8B%8B%E1%88%AA "የአውርስያ ዋሪ – Amharic")
- [Anarâškielâ](https://smn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Capisr%C3%A1st%C3%A1g%C3%A2%C5%A1 "Čapisrástágâš – Inari Sami")
- [العربية](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B1 "شحرور – Arabic")
- [Aragonés](https://an.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "Turdus merula – Aragonese")
- [Arpetan](https://frp.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A8rlo_n%C3%AAr "Mèrlo nêr – Arpitan")
- [Asturianu](https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "Turdus merula – Asturian")
- [Azərbaycanca](https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qara_qaratoyuq "Qara qaratoyuq – Azerbaijani")
- [বাংলা](https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF_%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE "পাতি কালিদামা – Bangla")
- [Башҡортса](https://ba.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D2%A0%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0_%D0%B1%D0%B0%D1%80%D2%A1%D1%8B%D0%BB%D0%B4%D0%B0%D2%A1 "Ҡара барҡылдаҡ – Bashkir")
- [Беларуская](https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B4_%D1%87%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BD%D1%8B "Дрозд чорны – Belarusian")
- [Беларуская (тарашкевіца)](https://be-tarask.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B4_%D1%87%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BD%D1%8B "Дрозд чорны – Belarusian (Taraškievica orthography)")
- [भोजपुरी](https://bh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80 "कस्तुरी – Bhojpuri")
- [Български](https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%81 "Кос – Bulgarian")
- [Bosanski](https://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kos_(ptica) "Kos (ptica) – Bosnian")
- [Brezhoneg](https://br.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moualc%27h_zu "Moualc'h zu – Breton")
- [Català](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merla "Merla – Catalan")
- [Чӑвашла](https://cv.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A5%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B0_%D1%81%C4%95%D0%BB%D1%85%D0%B5 "Хура сĕлхе – Chuvash")
- [Cebuano](https://ceb.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "Turdus merula – Cebuano")
- [Čeština](https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kos_%C4%8Dern%C3%BD "Kos černý – Czech")
- [Corsu](https://co.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merula "Merula – Corsican")
- [Cymraeg](https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mwyalchen "Mwyalchen – Welsh")
- [Dansk](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solsort "Solsort – Danish")
- [Davvisámegiella](https://se.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8C%C3%A1hppesr%C3%A1sttis "Čáhppesrásttis – Northern Sami")
- [Deutsch](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsel "Amsel – German")
- [Diné bizaad](https://nv.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%B3_w%C3%B3naan%C3%ADd%C4%99%CC%81%C4%99%CC%81%CA%BC_ts%C3%ADdiishzhiin "Tó wónaanídę́ę́ʼ tsídiishzhiin – Navajo")
- [Dolnoserbski](https://dsb.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B3s "Kós – Lower Sorbian")
- [Eesti](https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustr%C3%A4stas "Musträstas – Estonian")
- [Ελληνικά](https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9A%CF%8C%CF%84%CF%83%CF%85%CF%86%CE%B1%CF%82 "Κότσυφας – Greek")
- [Emiliàn e rumagnòl](https://eml.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "Turdus merula – Emiliano-Romagnolo")
- [Español](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "Turdus merula – Spanish")
- [Esperanto](https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlo "Merlo – Esperanto")
- [Estremeñu](https://ext.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mielra "Mielra – Extremaduran")
- [Euskara](https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zozo "Zozo – Basque")
- [فارسی](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D9%88%DA%A9%D8%A7%DB%8C_%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%87_%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%88%D9%84%DB%8C "توکای سیاه معمولی – Persian")
- [Føroyskt](https://fo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kv%C3%B8rkveggja "Kvørkveggja – Faroese")
- [Français](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_noir "Merle noir – French")
- [Frysk](https://fy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klyster "Klyster – Western Frisian")
- [Gaeilge](https://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lon_dubh "Lon dubh – Irish")
- [Gàidhlig](https://gd.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lon_dubh "Lon dubh – Scottish Gaelic")
- [Galego](https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlo "Merlo – Galician")
- [ГӀалгӀай](https://inh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D3%80%D0%B0%D1%8C%D1%80%D0%B6%D0%B0_%D1%88%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%88%D0%B0%D0%BB "Ӏаьржа шоршал – Ingush")
- [گیلکی](https://glk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7_%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AF "سیا سرد – Gilaki")
- [ગુજરાતી](https://gu.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AA%95%E0%AA%B8%E0%AB%8D%E0%AA%A4%E0%AB%81%E0%AA%B0%E0%AB%80 "કસ્તુરી – Gujarati")
- [한국어](https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%9C%A0%EB%9D%BC%EC%8B%9C%EC%95%84%EB%8C%80%EB%A5%99%EA%B2%80%EC%9D%80%EC%A7%80%EB%B9%A0%EA%B7%80 "유라시아대륙검은지빠귀 – Korean")
- [Հայերեն](https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D5%8D%D6%87_%D5%AF%D5%A5%D5%BC%D5%B6%D5%A5%D5%AD "Սև կեռնեխ – Armenian")
- [Hornjoserbsce](https://hsb.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B3s "Kós – Upper Sorbian")
- [Hrvatski](https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kos "Kos – Croatian")
- [Ido](https://io.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlo "Merlo – Ido")
- [Bahasa Indonesia](https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikatan_hitam "Sikatan hitam – Indonesian")
- [Íslenska](https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svart%C3%BEr%C3%B6stur "Svartþröstur – Icelandic")
- [Italiano](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "Turdus merula – Italian")
- [עברית](https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A9%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A8 "שחרור – Hebrew")
- [Jawa](https://jv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuk_sikatan_ireng "Manuk sikatan ireng – Javanese")
- [ქართული](https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%A8%E1%83%90%E1%83%95%E1%83%98_%E1%83%A8%E1%83%90%E1%83%A8%E1%83%95%E1%83%98 "შავი შაშვი – Georgian")
- [Kaszëbsczi](https://csb.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sm%C3%B2czk "Smòczk – Kashubian")
- [Қазақша](https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D2%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0_%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%B9%D1%80%D0%B0%D2%9B "Қара сайрақ – Kazakh")
- [Kurdî](https://ku.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boqijeya_re%C5%9F "Boqijeya reş – Kurdish")
- [Latgaļu](https://ltg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malnais_me%C5%BEastrods "Malnais mežastrods – Latgalian")
- [Latina](https://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "Turdus merula – Latin")
- [Latviešu](https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melnais_me%C5%BEastrazds "Melnais mežastrazds – Latvian")
- [Lëtzebuergesch](https://lb.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A4rel_(Vull) "Märel (Vull) – Luxembourgish")
- [Lietuvių](https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juodasis_strazdas "Juodasis strazdas – Lithuanian")
- [Limburgs](https://li.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merel "Merel – Limburgish")
- [Lingála](https://ln.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel%C3%BAla "Melúla – Lingala")
- [Livvinkarjala](https://olo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustura%C4%8Doi "Musturačoi – Livvi-Karelian")
- [Magyar](https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fekete_rig%C3%B3 "Fekete rigó – Hungarian")
- [Македонски](https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D0%B1%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BD_%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%81 "Обичен кос – Macedonian")
- [മലയാളം](https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%82%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B3%E0%B4%BF "കരിംകിളി – Malayalam")
- [მარგალური](https://xmf.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%A3%E1%83%A9%E1%83%90_%E1%83%96%E1%83%94%E1%83%A1%E1%83%A5%E1%83%95%E1%83%98 "უჩა ზესქვი – Mingrelian")
- [مصرى](https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B1_(%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B9_%D9%85%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B1) "شحرور (نوع من الطيور) – Egyptian Arabic")
- [مازِرونی](https://mzn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7 "تیکا – Mazanderani")
- [Nederlands](https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merel "Merel – Dutch")
- [Nedersaksies](https://nds-nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gietelink "Gietelink – Low Saxon")
- [日本語](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AD%E3%82%A6%E3%82%BF%E3%83%89%E3%83%AA "クロウタドリ – Japanese")
- [Nordfriisk](https://frr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kramper "Kramper – Northern Frisian")
- [Norsk bokmål](https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svarttrost "Svarttrost – Norwegian Bokmål")
- [Norsk nynorsk](https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svarttrast "Svarttrast – Norwegian Nynorsk")
- [Occitan](https://oc.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "Turdus merula – Occitan")
- [پښتو](https://ps.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%87_%D8%AA%D8%AA%DB%8D "توره تتۍ – Pashto")
- [Picard](https://pcd.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erm%C3%A8le "Ermèle – Picard")
- [Piemontèis](https://pms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "Turdus merula – Piedmontese")
- [Polski](https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kos_(ptak) "Kos (ptak) – Polish")
- [Português](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melro-preto "Melro-preto – Portuguese")
- [Română](https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mierl%C4%83 "Mierlă – Romanian")
- [Runa Simi](https://qu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kastilla_suksu "Kastilla suksu – Quechua")
- [Русиньскый](https://rue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%81 "Кос – Rusyn")
- [Русский](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A7%D1%91%D1%80%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B4 "Чёрный дрозд – Russian")
- [Sardu](https://sc.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merula "Merula – Sardinian")
- [Scots](https://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackie "Blackie – Scots")
- [Shqip](https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tusha_vetullverdh%C3%AB "Tusha vetullverdhë – Albanian")
- [Simple English](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird "Blackbird – Simple English")
- [Slovenčina](https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drozd_%C4%8Dierny "Drozd čierny – Slovak")
- [Slovenščina](https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kos_(pti%C4%8D) "Kos (ptič) – Slovenian")
- [کوردی](https://ckb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%95%DB%95%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B4%DB%95 "ڕەشیشە – Central Kurdish")
- [Српски / srpski](https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%81_(%D0%BF%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0) "Кос (птица) – Serbian")
- [Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски](https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kos "Kos – Serbo-Croatian")
- [Suomi](https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustarastas "Mustarastas – Finnish")
- [Svenska](https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koltrast "Koltrast – Swedish")
- [Tagalog](https://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "Turdus merula – Tagalog")
- [தமிழ்](https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%A3_%E0%AE%AE%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%8D_%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9F%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D "சாதாரண மலைச் சிட்டான் – Tamil")
- [Taclḥit](https://shi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akayya "Akayya – Tachelhit")
- [Taqbaylit](https://kab.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aseqsaq "Aseqsaq – Kabyle")
- [Татарча / tatarça](https://tt.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0_%D0%B1%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA%D1%8B%D0%BB%D0%B4%D1%8B%D0%BA "Кара баркылдык – Tatar")
- [ไทย](https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%81%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%A5%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%81%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%94 "นกแบล็กเบิร์ด – Thai")
- [Türkçe](https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karatavuk "Karatavuk – Turkish")
- [Українська](https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D1%80%D1%96%D0%B7%D0%B4_%D1%87%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B9 "Дрізд чорний – Ukrainian")
- [Tiếng Việt](https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho%C3%A9t_%C4%91en "Hoét đen – Vietnamese")
- [Walon](https://wa.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A5vi "Måvi – Walloon")
- [文言](https://zh-classical.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%99%BE%E8%88%8C%E9%B3%A5 "百舌鳥 – Literary Chinese")
- [West-Vlams](https://vls.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meirel "Meirel – West Flemish")
- [Winaray](https://war.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "Turdus merula – Waray")
- [吴语](https://wuu.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B9%8C%E9%B8%AB "乌鸫 – Wu")
- [粵語](https://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%BB%91%E9%B6%87 "黑鶇 – Cantonese")
- [中文](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%AC%A7%E4%B9%8C%E9%B8%AB "欧乌鸫 – Chinese")

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Thrush native to Europe, Asia and North Africa

Common blackbird
[![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Common_Blackbird.jpg/220px-Common_Blackbird.jpg)](/wiki/File:Common_Blackbird.jpg)Male _T. m. merula_[![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Common_Blackbird_%28Turdus_merula_mauritanicus%29_female.jpg/220px-Common_Blackbird_%28Turdus_merula_mauritanicus%29_female.jpg)](/wiki/File:Common_Blackbird_(Turdus_merula_mauritanicus)_female.jpg)Female _T. m. mauritanicus_

[Conservation status](/wiki/Conservation_status "Conservation status")

![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Status_iucn3.1_LC.svg/220px-Status_iucn3.1_LC.svg.png)

[Least Concern](/wiki/Least_Concern "Least Concern") ( [IUCN 3.1](/wiki/IUCN_Red_List "IUCN Red List"))[\[1\]](#cite_note-iucn-1)

[Scientific classification](/wiki/Taxonomy_(biology) "Taxonomy (biology)")[![Edit this classification](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr.svg/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr.svg.png)](/wiki/Template:Taxonomy/Turdus "Edit this classification")Domain:
[Eukaryota](/wiki/Eukaryote "Eukaryote")Kingdom:
[Animalia](/wiki/Animal "Animal")Phylum:
[Chordata](/wiki/Chordate "Chordate")Class:
[Aves](/wiki/Bird "Bird")Order:
[Passeriformes](/wiki/Passerine "Passerine")Family:
[Turdidae](/wiki/Thrush_(bird) "Thrush (bird)")Genus:
[_Turdus_](/wiki/True_thrush "True thrush")Species:

_**T. merula**_

[Binomial name](/wiki/Binomial_nomenclature "Binomial nomenclature")**_Turdus merula_**

[Linnaeus](/wiki/Carl_Linnaeus "Carl Linnaeus"), [1758](/wiki/10th_edition_of_Systema_Naturae "10th edition of Systema Naturae")

[![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Common_Blackbird_ebird_data_map.png/220px-Common_Blackbird_ebird_data_map.png)](/wiki/File:Common_Blackbird_ebird_data_map.png)Global range based on reports to [eBird](/wiki/EBird "EBird")

Summer range

Year-round range

Winter range

![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Gnome-speakernotes.svg/40px-Gnome-speakernotes.svg.png)

**This article includes inline links to audio files.** If you have trouble playing the files, see [Wikipedia Media help](/wiki/Wikipedia:MH "Wikipedia:MH").

The **common blackbird** ( _**Turdus merula**_) is a [species](/wiki/Species "Species") of [true thrush](/wiki/True_thrush "True thrush"). It is also called the **Eurasian blackbird** (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated [New World blackbirds](/wiki/New_World_blackbird "New World blackbird")),[\[2\]](#cite_note-natgeo-2) or simply the **blackbird** where this does not lead to confusion with a similar-looking local species. It breeds in Europe, western Asia, and North Africa, and has been [introduced](/wiki/Introduced_species "Introduced species") to Australia and New Zealand.[\[3\]](#cite_note-3) It has a number of [subspecies](/wiki/Subspecies "Subspecies") across its large range; a few former Asian subspecies are now widely treated as separate species. Depending on [latitude](/wiki/Latitude "Latitude"), the common blackbird may be [resident](/wiki/Resident_bird "Resident bird"), partially [migratory](/wiki/Bird_migration "Bird migration"), or fully migratory.

The adult male of the common blackbird ( _Turdus merula merula_, the [nominate subspecies](/wiki/Nominate_subspecies "Nominate subspecies")), which is found throughout most of Europe, is all black except for a yellow eye-ring and [bill](/wiki/Beak "Beak") and has a rich, melodious [song](/wiki/Bird_vocalization "Bird vocalization"); the adult female and juvenile have mainly dark brown [plumage](/wiki/Plumage "Plumage"). This species breeds in woods and gardens, building a neat, cup-shaped nest, bound together with mud. It is [omnivorous](/wiki/Omnivorous "Omnivorous"), eating a wide range of [insects](/wiki/Insect "Insect"), [earthworms](/wiki/Earthworm "Earthworm"), [berries](/wiki/Berry "Berry"), and [fruits](/wiki/Fruit "Fruit").

Both sexes are [territorial](/wiki/Territory_(animal) "Territory (animal)") on the breeding grounds, with distinctive threat displays, but are more gregarious during migration and in wintering areas. Pairs stay in their territory throughout the year where the climate is sufficiently [temperate](/wiki/Temperate "Temperate"). This common and conspicuous species has given rise to a number of literary and cultural references, frequently related to its song.

## Taxonomy and systematics

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=1 "Edit section: Taxonomy and systematics")\]

The common blackbird was described by [Carl Linnaeus](/wiki/Carl_Linnaeus "Carl Linnaeus") in his landmark 1758 [10th edition of _Systema Naturae_](/wiki/10th_edition_of_Systema_Naturae "10th edition of Systema Naturae") as _Turdus merula_ (characterised as _T. ater, rostro palpebrisque fulvis_).[\[4\]](#cite_note-4) The binomial name derives from two [Latin](/wiki/Latin "Latin") words, _turdus_, "thrush", and _merula_, "blackbird", the latter giving rise to its French name, _merle_,[\[5\]](#cite_note-5) and its [Scots](/wiki/Scots_language "Scots language") name, _merl_.[\[6\]](#cite_note-6)

About 65 species of medium to large thrushes are in the genus _Turdus_, characterised by rounded heads, longish, pointed wings, and usually melodious songs. Although two European thrushes, the [song thrush](/wiki/Song_thrush "Song thrush") and [mistle thrush](/wiki/Mistle_thrush "Mistle thrush"), are early offshoots from the Eurasian lineage of _Turdus_ thrushes after they spread north from Africa, the blackbird is descended from ancestors that had colonised the [Canary Islands](/wiki/Canary_Islands "Canary Islands") from Africa and subsequently reached Europe from there.[\[7\]](#cite_note-reilly-7) It is close in evolutionary terms to the [island thrush](/wiki/Island_thrush "Island thrush") ( _T. poliocephalus_) of Southeast Asia and islands in the southwest Pacific, which probably diverged from _T. merula_ stock fairly recently.[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8)

It may not immediately be clear why the name "blackbird", first recorded in 1486, was applied to this species, but not to one of the various other common black English birds, such as the [carrion crow](/wiki/Carrion_crow "Carrion crow"), [raven](/wiki/Common_raven "Common raven"), [rook](/wiki/Rook_(bird) "Rook (bird)"), or [jackdaw](/wiki/Jackdaw "Jackdaw"). However, in [Old English](/wiki/Old_English "Old English"), and in [modern English](/wiki/Modern_English "Modern English") up to about the 18th century, "bird" was used only for smaller or young birds, and larger ones such as crows were called "fowl". At that time, the blackbird was therefore the only widespread and conspicuous "black bird" in the British Isles.[\[9\]](#cite_note-OED-9) Until about the 17th century, another name for the species was _ouzel_, _ousel_ or _wosel_ (from [Old English](/wiki/Old_English "Old English") _osle_, cf. German _Amsel_). Another variant occurs in Act 3 of [Shakespeare's](/wiki/William_Shakespeare "William Shakespeare") _[A Midsummer Night's Dream](/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream "A Midsummer Night's Dream")_, where [Bottom](/wiki/Nick_Bottom "Nick Bottom") refers to "The Woosell cocke, so blacke of hew, With Orenge-tawny bill". The ouzel usage survived later in poetry, and still occurs as the name of the closely related [ring ouzel](/wiki/Ring_ouzel "Ring ouzel") ( _Turdus torquatus_), and in water ouzel, an alternative name for the unrelated but superficially similar [white-throated dipper](/wiki/White-throated_dipper "White-throated dipper") ( _Cinclus cinclus_).[\[10\]](#cite_note-birdnames-10)

Five related Asian _Turdus_ [thrushes](/wiki/Thrush_(bird) "Thrush (bird)")—the [white-collared blackbird](/wiki/White-collared_blackbird "White-collared blackbird") ( _T. albocinctus_), the [grey-winged blackbird](/wiki/Grey-winged_blackbird "Grey-winged blackbird") ( _T. boulboul_), the [Indian blackbird](/wiki/Indian_blackbird "Indian blackbird") ( _T. simillimus_), the [Tibetan blackbird](/wiki/Tibetan_blackbird "Tibetan blackbird") ( _T. maximus_), and the [Chinese blackbird](/wiki/Chinese_blackbird "Chinese blackbird") ( _T. mandarinus_)—are also named blackbirds;[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8) the latter three species were formerly treated as [conspecific](/wiki/Conspecific "Conspecific") with the common blackbird.[\[11\]](#cite_note-IOC-11) In addition, the [Somali thrush](/wiki/Somali_thrush "Somali thrush") ( _T. (olivaceus) ludoviciae_) is alternatively known as the Somali blackbird.[\[12\]](#cite_note-Sinclair-12)

The [icterid](/wiki/Icterid "Icterid") family of the New World is sometimes called the blackbird family because of some species' superficial resemblance to the common blackbird and other Old World thrushes, but they are not evolutionarily close, being related to the [New World warblers](/wiki/New_World_warbler "New World warbler") and [tanagers](/wiki/Tanager "Tanager").[\[13\]](#cite_note-Jaramillo-13) The term is often limited to smaller species with mostly or entirely black plumage, at least in the breeding male, notably the [cowbirds](/wiki/Cowbird "Cowbird"),[\[14\]](#cite_note-14) the [grackles](/wiki/Quiscalus "Quiscalus"),[\[15\]](#cite_note-15) and for around 20 species with "blackbird" in the name, such as the [red-winged blackbird](/wiki/Red-winged_blackbird "Red-winged blackbird") and the [melodious blackbird](/wiki/Melodious_blackbird "Melodious blackbird").[\[13\]](#cite_note-Jaramillo-13)

### Subspecies

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=2 "Edit section: Subspecies")\]

As would be expected for a widespread passerine bird species, several geographical subspecies are recognised. The treatment of subspecies in this article follows Clement et al. (2000).[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8)

- _T. m. merula_, the nominate subspecies, breeds commonly throughout much of Europe from [Iceland](/wiki/Iceland "Iceland"), the [Faroes](/wiki/Faroes "Faroes") and the British Isles east to the [Ural Mountains](/wiki/Ural_Mountains "Ural Mountains") and north to about 70 N, where it is fairly scarce. A small population breeds in the [Nile Valley](/wiki/Nile_Valley "Nile Valley"). Birds from the north of the range winter throughout Europe and around the Mediterranean, including [Cyprus](/wiki/Cyprus "Cyprus") and North Africa. The introduced birds in Australia and New Zealand are of the nominate race.[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8)
- _T. m. azorensis_ is a small race which breeds in the [Azores](/wiki/Azores "Azores"). The male is darker and glossier than _merula_.[\[16\]](#cite_note-BWP-16)
- _T. m. cabrerae_, named for [Ángel Cabrera](/wiki/%C3%81ngel_Cabrera_(naturalist) "Ángel Cabrera (naturalist)"), the Spanish [zoologist](/wiki/Zoology "Zoology"), resembles _azorensis_ and breeds in [Madeira](/wiki/Madeira "Madeira") and the western [Canary Islands](/wiki/Canary_Islands "Canary Islands").[\[16\]](#cite_note-BWP-16)
- _T. m. mauritanicus_, another small dark subspecies with a glossy black male plumage, breeds in central and northern [Morocco](/wiki/Morocco "Morocco"), coastal [Algeria](/wiki/Algeria "Algeria") and northern [Tunisia](/wiki/Tunisia "Tunisia").[\[16\]](#cite_note-BWP-16)[![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Turdus_merula_-autumn_leaves_-Budapest-8.jpg/220px-Turdus_merula_-autumn_leaves_-Budapest-8.jpg)](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula_-autumn_leaves_-Budapest-8.jpg) First-summer male, probably subspecies _aterrimus_
- _T m. aterrimus_ breeds in Hungary, south and east to southern Greece, [Crete](/wiki/Crete "Crete"), northern [Turkey](/wiki/Turkey "Turkey") and northern [Iran](/wiki/Iran "Iran"). It winters in southern Turkey, northern [Egypt](/wiki/Egypt "Egypt"), [Iraq](/wiki/Iraq "Iraq") and southern Iran. It is smaller than _merula_ with a duller male and paler female plumage.[\[16\]](#cite_note-BWP-16)
- _T. m. syriacus_ breeds on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey south to [Jordan](/wiki/Jordan "Jordan"), [Israel](/wiki/Israel "Israel") and the northern [Sinai](/wiki/Sinai_Peninsula "Sinai Peninsula"). It is mostly resident, but part of the population moves southwest or west to winter in the [Jordan Valley](/wiki/Jordan_River "Jordan River") and in the [Nile Delta](/wiki/Nile_Delta "Nile Delta") of northern Egypt south to about [Cairo](/wiki/Cairo "Cairo"). Both sexes of this subspecies are darker and greyer than the equivalent _merula_ plumages.[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8)
- _T. m. intermedius_ is an Asian race breeding from Central Russia to [Tajikistan](/wiki/Tajikistan "Tajikistan"), western and northeastern Afghanistan, and eastern China. Many birds are resident, but some are altitudinal migrants and occur in southern Afghanistan and southern Iraq in winter.[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8) This is a large subspecies, with a sooty-black male and a blackish-brown female.[\[17\]](#cite_note-HBW3-17)

The Central Asian subspecies, the relatively large _intermedius_, also differs in structure and voice, and may represent a distinct species.[\[17\]](#cite_note-HBW3-17) Alternatively, it has been suggested that it should be considered a subspecies of _[T. maximus](/wiki/Tibetan_blackbird "Tibetan blackbird")_,[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8) but it differs in structure, voice and the appearance of the eye-ring.[\[17\]](#cite_note-HBW3-17)[\[18\]](#cite_note-HBW2-18)

- [![Female of subspecies merula](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Amsel_Weibchen_aufgeplustert_edit2.jpg/200px-Amsel_Weibchen_aufgeplustert_edit2.jpg)](/wiki/File:Amsel_Weibchen_aufgeplustert_edit2.jpg "Female of subspecies merula")

Female of subspecies _merula_

- [![Juvenile T. m. merula in England](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/Turdus_merula_%28juvenile%29_-lawn-8.jpg/200px-Turdus_merula_%28juvenile%29_-lawn-8.jpg)](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula_(juvenile)_-lawn-8.jpg "Juvenile T. m. merula in England")

Juvenile _T. m. merula_ in England

- [![Young adult T. m. merula in Oxfordshire](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Common_blackbird_%28Turdus_merula%29_male%2C_young_adult.jpg/200px-Common_blackbird_%28Turdus_merula%29_male%2C_young_adult.jpg)](/wiki/File:Common_blackbird_(Turdus_merula)_male,_young_adult.jpg "Young adult T. m. merula in Oxfordshire")

Young adult _T. m. merula_ in [Oxfordshire](/wiki/Oxfordshire "Oxfordshire")

- [![A leucistic adult male in England with much white in the plumage](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Turdus_merula_-Cradley%2C_England_-pied-8.jpg/197px-Turdus_merula_-Cradley%2C_England_-pied-8.jpg)](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula_-Cradley,_England_-pied-8.jpg "A leucistic adult male in England with much white in the plumage")

A [leucistic](/wiki/Leucism "Leucism") adult male in England with much white in the plumage

- [![T. m. cabrerae on Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Turdus_merula_-Gran_Canaria%2C_Canary_Islands%2C_Spain-8_%282%29.jpg/200px-Turdus_merula_-Gran_Canaria%2C_Canary_Islands%2C_Spain-8_%282%29.jpg)](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula_-Gran_Canaria,_Canary_Islands,_Spain-8_(2).jpg "T. m. cabrerae on Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain")

_T. m. cabrerae_ on [Gran Canaria](/wiki/Gran_Canaria "Gran Canaria"), Canary Islands, Spain


### Similar species

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=3 "Edit section: Similar species")\]

In Europe, the common blackbird can be confused with the paler-winged first-winter [ring ouzel](/wiki/Ring_ouzel "Ring ouzel") ( _Turdus torquatus_) or the superficially similar [common starling](/wiki/Common_starling "Common starling") ( _Sturnus vulgaris_).[\[19\]](#cite_note-Collins-19) A number of similar _[Turdus](/wiki/Turdus "Turdus")_ thrushes exist far outside the range of the common blackbird, for example the South American [Chiguanco thrush](/wiki/Chiguanco_thrush "Chiguanco thrush") ( _Turdus chiguanco_).[\[20\]](#cite_note-Fjeldsaa-20) The [Indian blackbird](/wiki/Indian_blackbird "Indian blackbird") ( _Turdus simillimus_), the [Tibetan blackbird](/wiki/Tibetan_blackbird "Tibetan blackbird") ( _Turdus maximus_), and the [Chinese blackbird](/wiki/Chinese_blackbird "Chinese blackbird") ( _Turdus mandarinus_) were formerly treated as subspecies of the common blackbird.[\[11\]](#cite_note-IOC-11)

## Description

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=4 "Edit section: Description")\]

[![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Nederlandsche_vogelen_%28KB%29_-_Turdus_merula_%28016f%29.jpg/220px-Nederlandsche_vogelen_%28KB%29_-_Turdus_merula_%28016f%29.jpg)](/wiki/File:Nederlandsche_vogelen_(KB)_-_Turdus_merula_(016f).jpg) Historic image of blackbird in _[Nederlandsche Vogelen](/wiki/Nederlandsche_Vogelen "Nederlandsche Vogelen")_ (1770)

The common blackbird of the [nominate](/wiki/Subspecies#Nominate_subspecies_and_subspecies_autonyms "Subspecies") subspecies _T. m. merula_ is 23.5–29 cm (9.3–11.4 in) in length, has a long tail, and weighs 80–125 g (2.8–4.4 oz). The adult male has glossy black [plumage](/wiki/Plumage "Plumage"), blackish-brown legs, a yellow eye-ring and an orange-yellow [bill](/wiki/Beak "Beak"). The bill darkens somewhat in winter.[\[19\]](#cite_note-Collins-19) The adult female is sooty-brown with a dull yellowish-brownish bill, a brownish-white throat and some weak mottling on the breast. The [juvenile](/wiki/Juvenile_(organism) "Juvenile (organism)") is similar to the female, but has pale spots on the upperparts, and the very young juvenile also has a speckled breast. Young birds vary in the shade of brown, with darker birds presumably males.[\[19\]](#cite_note-Collins-19) The first year male resembles the adult male, but has a dark bill and weaker eye ring, and its folded wing is brown, rather than black like the body plumage.[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8)

## Distribution and habitat

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: Distribution and habitat")\]

The common blackbird breeds in temperate Eurasia, North Africa, the [Canary Islands](/wiki/Canary_Islands "Canary Islands"), and South Asia. It has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand.[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8) Populations are [sedentary](/wiki/Sedentism "Sedentism") in the south and west of the range, although northern birds [migrate](/wiki/Bird_migration "Bird migration") south as far as northern Africa and tropical Asia in winter.[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8) Urban males are more likely to [overwinter](/wiki/Overwinter "Overwinter") in cooler climes than rural males, an adaptation made feasible by the warmer microclimate and relatively abundant food that allow the birds to establish territories and start reproducing earlier in the year.[\[21\]](#cite_note-21) Recoveries of blackbirds ringed on the [Isle of May](/wiki/Isle_of_May "Isle of May") show that these birds commonly migrate from southern Norway (or from as far north as [Trondheim](/wiki/Trondheim "Trondheim")) to Scotland, and some onwards to Ireland. Scottish-ringed birds have also been recovered in England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden.[\[22\]](#cite_note-22) Female blackbirds in Scotland and the north of England migrate more (to Ireland) in winter than do the males[\[23\]](#cite_note-23)

Common over most of its range in woodland, the common blackbird has a preference for deciduous trees with dense undergrowth. However, gardens provide the best breeding habitat with up to 7.3 pairs per hectare (nearly three pairs per acre), with woodland typically holding about a tenth of that density, and open and very built-up habitats even less.[\[24\]](#cite_note-Snow-24) They are often replaced by the related [ring ouzel](/wiki/Ring_ouzel "Ring ouzel") in areas of higher altitude.[\[25\]](#cite_note-Observerbirdseggs-25) The common blackbird also lives in parks, gardens and hedgerows.[\[26\]](#cite_note-26)

The common blackbird occurs at elevations of up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in Europe, 2,300 m (7,500 ft) in North Africa, and at 900–1,820 m (2,950–5,970 ft) in peninsular India and Sri Lanka, but the large Himalayan subspecies range much higher, with _T. m. maximus_ breeding at 3,200–4,800 m (10,500–15,700 ft) and remaining above 2,100 m (6,900 ft) even in winter.[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8)

This widespread species has occurred as a vagrant in many locations in Eurasia outside its normal range, but records from North America are normally considered to involve escapees, including, for example, the 1971 bird in [Quebec](/wiki/Quebec "Quebec").[\[27\]](#cite_note-McNeil-27) However, a 1994 record from [Bonavista, Newfoundland](/wiki/Bonavista,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador "Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador"), has been accepted as a genuine wild bird,[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8) and the species is therefore on the [North American list](/wiki/List_of_birds_of_North_America "List of birds of North America").[\[28\]](#cite_note-AOU-28)

## Behaviour and ecology

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=6 "Edit section: Behaviour and ecology")\]

The male common blackbird defends its breeding territory, chasing away other males or utilising a "bow and run" threat display. This consists of a short run, the head first being raised and then bowed with the tail dipped simultaneously. If a fight between male blackbirds does occur, it is usually short and the intruder is soon chased away. The female blackbird is also aggressive in the spring when it competes with other females for a good nesting territory, and although fights are less frequent, they tend to be more violent.[\[24\]](#cite_note-Snow-24)

The [bill](/wiki/Beak "Beak")'s appearance is important in the interactions of the common blackbird. The territory-holding male responds more aggressively towards models with orange bills than to those with yellow bills, and reacts least to the brown bill colour typical of the first-year male. The female is, however, relatively indifferent to bill colour, but responds instead to shinier bills.[\[29\]](#cite_note-AB64-29)

As long as winter food is available, both the male and female will remain in the territory throughout the year, although occupying different areas. Migrants are more gregarious, travelling in small flocks and feeding in loose groups in the wintering grounds. The flight of migrating birds comprises bursts of rapid wing beats interspersed with level or diving movement, and differs from both the normal fast agile flight of this species and the more dipping action of larger thrushes.[\[16\]](#cite_note-BWP-16)

### Breeding

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=7 "Edit section: Breeding")\]

The male common blackbird attracts the female with a courtship display which consists of oblique runs combined with head-bowing movements, an open beak, and a "strangled" low song. The female remains motionless until she raises her head and tail to permit copulation.[\[24\]](#cite_note-Snow-24) This species is monogamous, and the established pair will usually stay together as long as they both survive.[\[16\]](#cite_note-BWP-16) Pair separation rates of up to 20% have been noted following poor breeding.[\[30\]](#cite_note-30) Although the species is socially monogamous, there have been studies showing as much as 17% extra-pair paternity.[\[31\]](#cite_note-31)

The nominate _T. merula_ may commence breeding in March, but eastern and Indian races are a month or more later, and the introduced New Zealand birds start nesting in August (late winter).[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8)[\[25\]](#cite_note-Observerbirdseggs-25) The breeding pair prospect for a suitable nest site in a creeper or bush, favouring evergreen or thorny species such as [ivy](/wiki/Ivy "Ivy"), [holly](/wiki/Holly "Holly"), [hawthorn](/wiki/Crataegus "Crataegus"), [honeysuckle](/wiki/Honeysuckle "Honeysuckle") or [pyracantha](/wiki/Pyracantha "Pyracantha").[\[32\]](#cite_note-NatEngland-32) Sometimes the birds will nest in sheds or outbuildings where a ledge or cavity is used. The cup-shaped [nest](/wiki/Bird_nest "Bird nest") is made with grasses, leaves and other vegetation, bound together with mud. It is built by the female alone. She lays three to five (usually four) bluish-green [eggs](/wiki/Bird_egg "Bird egg") marked with reddish-brown blotches,[\[24\]](#cite_note-Snow-24) heaviest at the larger end;[\[25\]](#cite_note-Observerbirdseggs-25) the eggs of nominate _T. merula_ are 2.9 cm × 2.1 cm (1.14 in × 0.83 in) in size and weigh 7.2 g (0.25 oz), of which 6% is shell.[\[33\]](#cite_note-BTO-33) Eggs of birds of the southern Indian races are paler than those from the northern subcontinent and Europe.[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8)

The female incubates for 12–14 days before the [altricial](/wiki/Altricial "Altricial") chicks are hatched naked and blind. Fledging takes another 10–19 (average 13.6) days, with both parents feeding the young and removing faecal sacs.[\[16\]](#cite_note-BWP-16) The nest is often ill-concealed compared with those of other species, and many breeding attempts fail due to predation.[\[34\]](#cite_note-Game_and_Wildfowl_Conservation_Trust-34) The young are fed by the parents for up to three weeks after leaving the nest, and will follow the adults begging for food. If the female starts another nest, the male alone will feed the fledged young.[\[24\]](#cite_note-Snow-24) Second broods are common, with the female reusing the same nest if the brood was successful, and three broods may be raised in the south of the common blackbird's range.[\[8\]](#cite_note-Clement-8)

A common blackbird has an average [life expectancy](/wiki/Life_expectancy "Life expectancy") of 2.4 years,[\[35\]](#cite_note-35) and, based on data from [bird ringing](/wiki/Bird_ringing "Bird ringing"), the oldest recorded age is 21 years and 10 months.[\[36\]](#cite_note-36)

- [![female with nesting material](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Eurasian_blackbird_%28Turdus_merula%29_female_with_nesting_material_South_Bruny.jpg/200px-Eurasian_blackbird_%28Turdus_merula%29_female_with_nesting_material_South_Bruny.jpg)](/wiki/File:Eurasian_blackbird_(Turdus_merula)_female_with_nesting_material_South_Bruny.jpg "female with nesting material")

female with nesting material

- [![Eggs in a nest](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Blackbird_nest_with_3_eggs.jpg/200px-Blackbird_nest_with_3_eggs.jpg)](/wiki/File:Blackbird_nest_with_3_eggs.jpg "Eggs in a nest")

Eggs in a nest

- [![Two chicks in a nest](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Turdus_merula_-England_-chicks_in_nest-8_%282%29.jpg/200px-Turdus_merula_-England_-chicks_in_nest-8_%282%29.jpg)](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula_-England_-chicks_in_nest-8_(2).jpg "Two chicks in a nest")

Two chicks in a nest

- Blackbird fledgelings being fed

- Male feeding chicks

- Common blackbird foraging in Norfolk, England

- A common blackbird eating figs near Toulouse, France

- Feeding chick and removing faecal sac


### Songs and calls

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=8 "Edit section: Songs and calls")\]

noicon [Song 1](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula_2.ogg "File:Turdus merula 2.ogg")noicon [Song 2](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula_(06_02_16).ogg "File:Turdus merula (06 02 16).ogg")noicon [Song 3](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula.ogg "File:Turdus merula.ogg")noicon [Song 4](/wiki/File:Common_Blackbird_(Turdus_merula)_(W1CDR0001425_BD22).ogg "File:Common Blackbird (Turdus merula) (W1CDR0001425 BD22).ogg")noicon [Alarm calls](/wiki/File:Common_Blackbird_(Turdus_merula)_(W1CDR0001525_BD22).ogg "File:Common Blackbird (Turdus merula) (W1CDR0001525 BD22).ogg")

In its native [Northern Hemisphere](/wiki/Northern_Hemisphere "Northern Hemisphere") range, the first-year male common blackbird of the nominate race may start singing as early as late January in fine weather in order to establish a territory, followed in late March by the adult male. The male's song is a varied and melodious low-pitched fluted warble, given from trees, rooftops or other elevated perches[\[37\]](#cite_note-37) mainly in the period from March to June, sometimes into the beginning of July. It has a number of other calls, including an aggressive _seee_, a _pook-pook-pook_ alarm for terrestrial predators like cats, and various _chink_ and _chook, chook_ vocalisations. The territorial male invariably gives _chink-chink_ calls in the evening in an attempt (usually unsuccessful) to deter other blackbirds from roosting in its territory overnight.[\[24\]](#cite_note-Snow-24) During the northern winter, blackbirds can be heard quietly singing to themselves, so much so that September and October are the only months in which the song cannot be heard.[\[38\]](#cite_note-gbirds-38) Like other passerine birds, it has a thin high _seee_ alarm call for threats from [birds of prey](/wiki/Bird_of_prey "Bird of prey") since the sound is rapidly attenuated in vegetation, making the source difficult to locate.[\[39\]](#cite_note-burton-39)

At least two subspecies, _T. m. merula_ and _T. m. nigropileus_, will mimic other species of birds, cats, humans or alarms, but this is usually quiet and hard to detect.

### Feeding

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=9 "Edit section: Feeding")\]

[![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Male_common_blackbird_with_feed_in_Lausanne.jpg/220px-Male_common_blackbird_with_feed_in_Lausanne.jpg)](/wiki/File:Male_common_blackbird_with_feed_in_Lausanne.jpg) Adult male feeding on cherries in [Lausanne](/wiki/Lausanne "Lausanne"), Switzerland

The common blackbird is [omnivorous](/wiki/Omnivorous "Omnivorous"), eating a wide range of [insects](/wiki/Insect "Insect"), [earthworms](/wiki/Earthworm "Earthworm"), seeds and berries. It feeds mainly on the ground, running and hopping with a start-stop-start progress. It pulls earthworms from the soil, usually finding them by sight, but sometimes by hearing, and roots through [leaf litter](/wiki/Leaf_litter "Leaf litter") for other [invertebrates](/wiki/Invertebrate "Invertebrate"). Small [amphibians](/wiki/Amphibian "Amphibian"), [lizards](/wiki/Lizard "Lizard") and (on rare occasions) small [mammals](/wiki/Mammal "Mammal") are occasionally hunted.[\[40\]](#cite_note-40)[\[41\]](#cite_note-41) This species will also perch in bushes to take berries and collect [caterpillars](/wiki/Caterpillar "Caterpillar") and other active insects.[\[24\]](#cite_note-Snow-24) Animal prey predominates, and is particularly important during the breeding season, with windfall apples and berries taken more in the autumn and winter. The nature of the fruit taken depends on what is locally available, and frequently includes exotics in gardens.

### Natural threats

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=10 "Edit section: Natural threats")\]

[![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Blackbird_and_Kestrel.jpg/170px-Blackbird_and_Kestrel.jpg)](/wiki/File:Blackbird_and_Kestrel.jpg) A male attempting to distract a [kestrel](/wiki/Common_kestrel "Common kestrel") close to its nest

Near human habitation the main predator of the common blackbird is the domestic cat, with newly fledged young especially vulnerable. [Foxes](/wiki/Fox "Fox") and predatory birds, such as the [sparrowhawk](/wiki/Eurasian_sparrowhawk "Eurasian sparrowhawk") and other [accipiters](/wiki/Accipiter "Accipiter"), also take this species when the opportunity arises.[\[42\]](#cite_note-RSPB-42)[\[43\]](#cite_note-Lambeth-43) However, there is little direct evidence to show that either predation of the adult blackbirds or loss of the eggs and chicks to [corvids](/wiki/Corvidae "Corvidae"), such as the [European magpie](/wiki/European_magpie "European magpie") or [Eurasian jay](/wiki/Eurasian_jay "Eurasian jay"), decrease population numbers.[\[32\]](#cite_note-NatEngland-32)

This species is occasionally a host of [parasitic](/wiki/Brood_parasite "Brood parasite") [cuckoos](/wiki/Cuckoo "Cuckoo"), such as the [common cuckoo](/wiki/Common_cuckoo "Common cuckoo") ( _Cuculus canorus_), but this is minimal because the common blackbird recognizes the adult of the parasitic species and its [non-mimetic](/wiki/Mimicry "Mimicry") eggs.[\[44\]](#cite_note-daviesnb-44) In the UK, only three nests of 59,770 examined (0.005%) contained cuckoo eggs.[\[45\]](#cite_note-glue-45) The introduced _merula_ blackbird in New Zealand, where the cuckoo does not occur, has, over the past 130 years, lost the ability to recognize the adult common cuckoo but still rejects non-mimetic eggs.[\[46\]](#cite_note-JAB-46)

As with other passerine birds, parasites are common. [Intestinal parasites](/wiki/Intestinal_parasite "Intestinal parasite") were found in 88% of common blackbirds, most frequently _[Isospora](/wiki/Isospora "Isospora")_ and _[Capillaria](/wiki/Capillaria_(nematode) "Capillaria (nematode)")_ species.[\[47\]](#cite_note-47) and more than 80% had haematozoan parasites ( _[Leucocytozoon](/wiki/Leucocytozoon "Leucocytozoon")_, _[Plasmodium](/wiki/Plasmodium "Plasmodium")_, _[Haemoproteus](/wiki/Haemoproteus "Haemoproteus")_ and _[Trypanosoma](/wiki/Trypanosoma "Trypanosoma")_ species).[\[48\]](#cite_note-48)

Common blackbirds spend much of their time looking for food on the ground where they can become infested with ticks, which are external parasites that most commonly attach to the head of a blackbird.[\[49\]](#cite_note-Gregoire-49) In France, 74% of rural blackbirds were found to be infested with _[Ixodes](/wiki/Ixodes "Ixodes")_ ticks, whereas, only 2% of blackbirds living in urban habitats were infested.[\[49\]](#cite_note-Gregoire-49) This is partly because it is more difficult for ticks to find another host on lawns and gardens in urban areas than in uncultivated rural areas, and partly because ticks are likely to be commoner in rural areas, where a variety of tick hosts, such as foxes, deer and boar, are more numerous.[\[49\]](#cite_note-Gregoire-49) Although ixodid ticks can transmit [pathogenic](/wiki/Pathogen "Pathogen") viruses and bacteria, and are known to transmit _[Borrelia](/wiki/Borrelia "Borrelia")_ bacteria to birds,[\[50\]](#cite_note-Kipp-50) there is no evidence that this affects the fitness of blackbirds except when they are exhausted and run down after migration.[\[49\]](#cite_note-Gregoire-49)

The common blackbird is one of a number of species which has [unihemispheric slow-wave sleep](/wiki/Unihemispheric_slow-wave_sleep "Unihemispheric slow-wave sleep"). One hemisphere of the brain is effectively asleep, while a low-voltage [EEG](/wiki/Electroencephalography "Electroencephalography"), characteristic of wakefulness, is present in the other. The benefit of this is that the bird can rest in areas of high predation or during long migratory flights, but still retain a degree of alertness.[\[51\]](#cite_note-Perspectives-51)

## Status and conservation

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=11 "Edit section: Status and conservation")\]

The common blackbird has an extensive range, estimated at 32.4 million square kilometres (12.5 million square miles), and a large population, including an estimated 79 to 160 million individuals in Europe alone. The species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations), and is therefore evaluated as [least concern](/wiki/Least_concern "Least concern").[\[52\]](#cite_note-IUCN-52) In the western [Palearctic](/wiki/Palearctic "Palearctic"), populations are generally stable or increasing,[\[16\]](#cite_note-BWP-16) but there have been local declines, especially on farmland, which may be due to agricultural policies that encouraged farmers to remove hedgerows (which provide nesting places), and to drain damp grassland and increase the use of [pesticides](/wiki/Pesticide "Pesticide"), both of which could have reduced the availability of invertebrate food.[\[42\]](#cite_note-RSPB-42)

The common blackbird was introduced to Australia by a bird dealer visiting [Melbourne](/wiki/Melbourne "Melbourne") in early 1857,[\[53\]](#cite_note-OzPests-53) and its range has expanded from its initial foothold in Melbourne and [Adelaide](/wiki/Adelaide "Adelaide") to include all of southeastern Australia, including [Tasmania](/wiki/Tasmania "Tasmania") and the [Bass Strait](/wiki/Bass_Strait "Bass Strait") islands.[\[54\]](#cite_note-backyard-54) The introduced population in Australia is considered a pest because it damages a variety of soft fruits in orchards, parks and gardens, including berries, cherries, stone fruit and grapes.[\[53\]](#cite_note-OzPests-53) It is thought to spread weeds, such as [blackberry](/wiki/Blackberry "Blackberry"), and may compete with native birds for food and nesting sites.[\[53\]](#cite_note-OzPests-53)[\[55\]](#cite_note-Oz-55)

The introduced common blackbird is, together with the native [silvereye](/wiki/Silvereye "Silvereye") ( _Zosterops lateralis_), the most widely distributed avian seed disperser in New Zealand. Introduced there along with the [song thrush](/wiki/Song_thrush "Song thrush") ( _Turdus philomelos_) in 1862, it has spread throughout the country up to an elevation of 1,500 metres (4,921 ft), as well as outlying islands such as the [Campbell](/wiki/Campbell_Island_group "Campbell Island group") and [Kermadecs](/wiki/Kermadec_Islands "Kermadec Islands").[\[56\]](#cite_note-Fallaetal79-56) It eats a wide range of native and exotic fruit, and makes a major contribution to the development of communities of naturalised woody weeds. These communities provide fruit more suited to non-endemic native birds and naturalised birds than to [endemic](/wiki/Endemism "Endemism") birds.[\[57\]](#cite_note-NZ-57)

- [![Turdus merula cabrerae - MHNT](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Turdus_merula_cabrerae_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.186.14.jpg/200px-Turdus_merula_cabrerae_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.186.14.jpg)](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula_cabrerae_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.186.14.jpg "Turdus merula cabrerae - MHNT")

_Turdus merula cabrerae_ \- [MHNT](/wiki/MHNT "MHNT")

- [![Turdus merula merula - MHNT](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Turdus_merula_merula_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.186.11.jpg/200px-Turdus_merula_merula_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.186.11.jpg)](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula_merula_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.186.11.jpg "Turdus merula merula - MHNT")

_Turdus merula merula_ \- [MHNT](/wiki/MHNT "MHNT")

- [![Turdus merula mauritanicus - MHNT](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Turdus_merula_mauritanicus_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.186.23.jpg/200px-Turdus_merula_mauritanicus_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.186.23.jpg)](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula_mauritanicus_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.186.23.jpg "Turdus merula mauritanicus - MHNT")

_Turdus merula mauritanicus_ \- [MHNT](/wiki/MHNT "MHNT")

- [![Turdus merula azorensis - MHNT](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Turdus_merula_azorensis_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.189.8.jpg/160px-Turdus_merula_azorensis_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.189.8.jpg)](/wiki/File:Turdus_merula_azorensis_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.189.8.jpg "Turdus merula azorensis - MHNT")

_Turdus merula azorensis_ \- [MHNT](/wiki/MHNT "MHNT")


## In popular culture

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=12 "Edit section: In popular culture")\]

[![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/SingSong6dcaldecott.jpg/220px-SingSong6dcaldecott.jpg)](/wiki/File:SingSong6dcaldecott.jpg)" [Sing a Song for Sixpence](/wiki/Sing_a_Song_of_Sixpence "Sing a Song of Sixpence")" cover illustration[![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Chickenpie1.JPG/250px-Chickenpie1.JPG)](/wiki/File:Chickenpie1.JPG) A pie with a traditional [pie bird](/wiki/Pie_bird "Pie bird") in the shape of a blackbird

The common blackbird was seen as a sacred though destructive bird in Classical Greek folklore, and was said to die if it consumed [pomegranates](/wiki/Pomegranate "Pomegranate").[\[58\]](#cite_note-Cooper92-58) Like many other small birds, it has in the past been trapped in rural areas at its night roosts as an easily available addition to the diet,[\[59\]](#cite_note-Cocker-59) and in medieval times the practice of placing live birds under a pie crust just before serving may have been the origin of the familiar [nursery rhyme](/wiki/Nursery_rhyme "Nursery rhyme"):[\[59\]](#cite_note-Cocker-59)

> [Sing a song of sixpence](/wiki/Sing_a_song_of_sixpence "Sing a song of sixpence"),
>
> A pocket full of rye;
>
> Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie!
>
> When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
>
> Oh, wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?[\[60\]](#cite_note-pie-60)

The common blackbird's melodious, distinctive song is mentioned in the poem _Adlestrop_ by [Edward Thomas](/wiki/Edward_Thomas_(poet) "Edward Thomas (poet)");

> And for that minute a blackbird sang
>
> Close by, and round him, mistier,
>
> Farther and farther, all the birds
>
> Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.[\[61\]](#cite_note-adelstrop-61)

In the English [Christmas carol](/wiki/Christmas_carol "Christmas carol") " [The Twelve Days of Christmas](/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song) "The Twelve Days of Christmas (song)")", the line commonly sung today as "four calling birds" is believed to have originally been written in the 18th century as "four colly birds", an [archaism](/wiki/Archaism "Archaism") meaning "black as coal" that was a popular English nickname for the common blackbird.[\[62\]](#cite_note-62)

The common blackbird, unlike many black creatures, is not normally seen as a symbol of bad luck,[\[59\]](#cite_note-Cocker-59) but [R. S. Thomas](/wiki/R._S._Thomas "R. S. Thomas") wrote that there is "a suggestion of dark Places about it",[\[63\]](#cite_note-rst-63) and it symbolised resignation in the 17th century [tragic](/wiki/Tragedy "Tragedy") play _[The Duchess of Malfi](/wiki/The_Duchess_of_Malfi "The Duchess of Malfi")_;[\[64\]](#cite_note-deVries76-64) an alternate connotation is vigilance, the bird's clear cry warning of danger.[\[64\]](#cite_note-deVries76-64)

The common blackbird is the [national bird](/wiki/List_of_national_birds "List of national birds") of Sweden,[\[65\]](#cite_note-sweden-65) which has a breeding population of 1–2 million pairs,[\[16\]](#cite_note-BWP-16) and was featured on a 30 [öre](/wiki/%C3%96re "Öre") [Christmas](/wiki/Christmas "Christmas") [postage stamp](/wiki/Postage_stamp "Postage stamp") in 1970;[\[66\]](#cite_note-stamp-66) it has also featured on a number of other stamps issued by European and Asian countries, including a 1966 4d British stamp and a 1998 Irish 30p stamp.[\[67\]](#cite_note-67) This bird—arguably—also gives rise to the [Serbian](/wiki/Serbian_language "Serbian language") name for [Kosovo](/wiki/Autonomous_Province_of_Kosovo_and_Metohija "Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija") (and Metohija), which is the possessive adjectival form of Serbian _kos_ ("blackbird") as in [Kosovo Polje](/wiki/Kosovo_Polje "Kosovo Polje") ("Blackbird Field").[\[68\]](#cite_note-kosovo-68)

A common blackbird can be heard singing on [the Beatles](/wiki/The_Beatles "The Beatles") song " [Blackbird](/wiki/Blackbird_(Beatles_song) "Blackbird (Beatles song)")" as a symbol of the [civil rights movement](/wiki/Civil_rights_movement "Civil rights movement").[\[69\]](#cite_note-69)

## References

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=13 "Edit section: References")\]

01. **[^](#cite_ref-iucn_1-0)**[BirdLife International](/wiki/BirdLife_International "BirdLife International") (2016). [" _Turdus merula_"](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/103888106/87871094). _[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](/wiki/IUCN_Red_List "IUCN Red List")_. **2016**. [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"):[10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103888106A87871094.en](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103888106A87871094.en). Retrieved 25 July 2019.
02. **[^](#cite_ref-natgeo_2-0)**Alderfer, Jonathan, ed. (2006). _Complete Birds of North America_. Washington, D.C.: [National Geographic Society](/wiki/National_Geographic_Society "National Geographic Society"). p. 489. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [0-7922-4175-4](/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7922-4175-4 "Special:BookSources/0-7922-4175-4").
03. **[^](#cite_ref-3)**Long, John L. (1981). _Introduced Birds of the World_. Agricultural Protection Board of Western Australia. pp. 21–493. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [9780876633182](/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780876633182 "Special:BookSources/9780876633182").
04. **[^](#cite_ref-4)**[Linnaeus, Carolus](/wiki/Carl_Linnaeus "Carl Linnaeus") (1758). [_Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata_](https://archive.org/details/mobot31753000798865) (in Latin). Holmiae (Laurentii Salvii). p. 170.
05. **[^](#cite_ref-5)**Le Robert, Paul (2001). _Le Grand Robert de la langue française_ (in French). Dictionnaires Le Robert. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [2-85036-673-0](/wiki/Special:BookSources/2-85036-673-0 "Special:BookSources/2-85036-673-0").
06. **[^](#cite_ref-6)**[_Dictionary of the Scots Language_](http://www.dsl.ac.uk/). University of Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
07. **[^](#cite_ref-reilly_7-0)**Reilly, John (2018). _The Ascent of Birds_. Pelagic Monographs. Exeter: Pelagic. pp. 221–225. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [978-1-78427-169-5](/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-78427-169-5 "Special:BookSources/978-1-78427-169-5").
08. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-2) [_**d**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-3) [_**e**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-4) [_**f**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-5) [_**g**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-6) [_**h**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-7) [_**i**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-8) [_**j**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-9) [_**k**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-10) [_**l**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-11) [_**m**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-12) [_**n**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-13) [_**o**_](#cite_ref-Clement_8-14)Clement, Peter; Hathway, Ren; Wilczur, Jan (2000). _Thrushes (Helm Identification Guides)_. Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [0-7136-3940-7](/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7136-3940-7 "Special:BookSources/0-7136-3940-7").
09. **[^](#cite_ref-OED_9-0)**_[Oxford English Dictionary](/wiki/Oxford_English_Dictionary "Oxford English Dictionary")_, Oxford University Press, 1933: Bird (sense 2), Blackbird
10. **[^](#cite_ref-birdnames_10-0)**Lockwood, W. B. (1984). _Oxford Book of British Bird Names_. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [0-19-214155-4](/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-214155-4 "Special:BookSources/0-19-214155-4").
11. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-IOC_11-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-IOC_11-1)Gill, F.; Donsker, D. (20 July 2015). ["Thrushes"](http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/thrushes/). _IOC World Bird List, version 5.3_. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
12. **[^](#cite_ref-Sinclair_12-0)**Sinclair, I., & P. Ryan (2003). _Birds of Africa south of the Sahara_. Struik Publishers, Cape Town. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [1-86872-857-9](/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-86872-857-9 "Special:BookSources/1-86872-857-9")
13. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-Jaramillo_13-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-Jaramillo_13-1)Jaramillo, Alvaro; Burke, Peter (1997). _New World Blackbirds: The Icterids_. [Helm Identification Guides](/wiki/Helm_Identification_Guides "Helm Identification Guides"). Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [0-7136-4333-1](/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7136-4333-1 "Special:BookSources/0-7136-4333-1").
14. **[^](#cite_ref-14)**["All About Birds: Bronzed Cowbird"](http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Bronzed_Cowbird_dtl.html). Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2003. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
15. **[^](#cite_ref-15)**["All About Birds: Great-tailed Grackle"](http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great-tailed_Grackle.html). Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2003. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
16. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-BWP_16-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-BWP_16-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-BWP_16-2) [_**d**_](#cite_ref-BWP_16-3) [_**e**_](#cite_ref-BWP_16-4) [_**f**_](#cite_ref-BWP_16-5) [_**g**_](#cite_ref-BWP_16-6) [_**h**_](#cite_ref-BWP_16-7) [_**i**_](#cite_ref-BWP_16-8)Snow, David; Perrins, Christopher M., eds. (1998). _The Birds of the Western Palearctic concise edition (2 volumes)_. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [0-19-854099-X](/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-854099-X "Special:BookSources/0-19-854099-X"). p1215–1218
17. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-HBW3_17-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-HBW3_17-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-HBW3_17-2)Collar, N. J. (2005). Common Blackbird ( _Turdus merula_). p. 645 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Christie, D. A. eds. (2005) _[Handbook of the Birds of the World](/wiki/Handbook_of_the_Birds_of_the_World "Handbook of the Birds of the World")_. Vol. 10. Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [84-87334-72-5](/wiki/Special:BookSources/84-87334-72-5 "Special:BookSources/84-87334-72-5")
18. **[^](#cite_ref-HBW2_18-0)**Collar, N. J. (2005). Tibetan Blackbird ( _Turdus maximus_). p. 646 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Christie, D. A., eds. (2005). _[Handbook of the Birds of the World](/wiki/Handbook_of_the_Birds_of_the_World "Handbook of the Birds of the World")_. Vol. 10: _Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes_. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [84-87334-72-5](/wiki/Special:BookSources/84-87334-72-5 "Special:BookSources/84-87334-72-5")
19. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-Collins_19-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-Collins_19-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-Collins_19-2)Mullarney, Killian; Svensson, Lars, Zetterstrom, Dan; Grant, Peter (2001). _Birds of Europe_. Princeton University Press. pp. 304–306. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [0-691-05054-6](/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-691-05054-6 "Special:BookSources/0-691-05054-6")
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21. **[^](#cite_ref-21)**Partecke, J.; Gwinner, E. (2007). "Increased sedentariness in European blackbirds following urbanization: a consequence of local adaptation?". _Ecology_. **88** (4): 882–90. [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"): [10.1890/06-1105](https://doi.org/10.1890%2F06-1105). [PMID](/wiki/PMID_(identifier) "PMID (identifier)") [17536705](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17536705).
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25. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-Observerbirdseggs_25-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-Observerbirdseggs_25-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-Observerbirdseggs_25-2)Evans G (1972). _The Observer's Book of Birds' Eggs_. London: Warne. p. 78. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [0-7232-0060-2](/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7232-0060-2 "Special:BookSources/0-7232-0060-2").
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48. **[^](#cite_ref-48)**Hatchwell, B. J.; Wood; Anwar, M. J. M.; Perrins C. M. (2000). ["The prevalence and ecology of the haematozoan parasites of European blackbirds, _Turdus merula_"](http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/z99-228?journalCode=cjz). _Canadian Journal of Zoology_. **78** (4): 684–687. [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"): [10.1139/cjz-78-4-684](https://doi.org/10.1139%2Fcjz-78-4-684).
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52. **[^](#cite_ref-IUCN_52-0)**[BirdLife International](/wiki/BirdLife_International "BirdLife International") (2014). [" _Turdus merula_"](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22708775/62578644). _[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](/wiki/IUCN_Red_List "IUCN Red List")_. **2014**: e.T22708775A62578644. [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"):[10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-2.RLTS.T22708775A62578644.en](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2014-2.RLTS.T22708775A62578644.en).
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## Further reading

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=14 "Edit section: Further reading")\]

- [Snow, David W.](/wiki/David_Snow_(ornithologist) "David Snow (ornithologist)") (1987). _The Blackbird_. Shire Natural History [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [0-85263-854-X](/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-85263-854-X "Special:BookSources/0-85263-854-X")
- Snow, David W. (1958). "The breeding of the Blackbird _Turdus merula_ at Oxford". _Ibis_. **100** (1): 1–30. [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"): [10.1111/j.1474-919X.1958.tb00362.x](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1474-919X.1958.tb00362.x).

## External links

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=15 "Edit section: External links")\]

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Turdus merula](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "commons:Turdus merula").

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Wikiquote has quotations related to _**[Blackbirds](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Blackbirds "q:Blackbirds")**_.

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[Wikispecies](/wiki/Wikispecies "Wikispecies") has information related to _**[Turdus merula](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "wikispecies:Turdus merula")**_.

### Species information

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=16 "Edit section: Species information")\]

- [BBC Science & Nature – Blackbird, with song clip](https://web.archive.org/web/20090731170719/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/Common_Blackbird) (archive)
- [Madeira Birdwatching – Information on subspecies _cabrerae_](https://www.madeirabirds.com/blackbird_page)
- [RSPB – Blackbird, including video and sound clips](https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackbird)
- [iberCaja Classroom Network – Blackbird ageing and sexing](https://web.archive.org/web/20141202064514/http://aulaenred.ibercaja.es/wp-content/uploads/344_BlackbirdTmerula.pdf) (archived PDF; 5.3 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze
- [Ornithos – Feathers of common blackbird ( _Turdus merula_)](http://www.ornithos.de/Ornithos/Feather_Collection/Turdus_merula/Turdus_merula.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200731025702/http://www.ornithos.de/Ornithos/Feather_Collection/Turdus_merula/Turdus_merula.htm) 2020-07-31 at the [Wayback Machine](/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine")

### Sounds and videos

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=17 "Edit section: Sounds and videos")\]

- [Audio recordings of Blackbird](http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Turdus-merula) on [Xeno-canto](/wiki/Xeno-canto "Xeno-canto").
- [Blackbird videos, photos & sounds](http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/common-blackbird-turdus-merula) on the Internet Bird Collection
- [Other blackbird songs on _Sonatura_](http://association.sonatura.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=213&Itemid=38) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170622072541/http://association.sonatura.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=213&Itemid=38) 2017-06-22 at the [Wayback Machine](/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine")

### Images

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&action=edit&section=18 "Edit section: Images")\]

- [ARKive – Blackbird still images](https://web.archive.org/web/20071113014844/http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/birds/Turdus_merula/) (archive)

[Taxon identifiers](/wiki/Help:Taxon_identifiers "Help:Taxon identifiers")

_Turdus merula_

- [Wikidata](/wiki/Wikidata "Wikidata"): [Q25234](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25234 "wikidata:Q25234")
- [Wikispecies](/wiki/Wikispecies "Wikispecies"): [Turdus merula](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Turdus_merula "wikispecies:Turdus merula")
- [ABA](/wiki/American_Birding_Association "American Birding Association"): eurbla
- [ADW](/wiki/Animal_Diversity_Web "Animal Diversity Web"): [Turdus\_merula](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Turdus_merula/)
- [AFD](/wiki/Australian_Faunal_Directory "Australian Faunal Directory"): [Turdus\_merula](https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/Turdus_merula)
- [Avibase](/wiki/Avibase "Avibase"): [1BB50DE8362A4963](https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=1BB50DE8362A4963)
- BioLib: [8883](https://www.biolib.cz/en/taxon/id8883)
- [BirdLife](/wiki/BirdLife_International "BirdLife International"): [103888106](https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/103888106)
- [BirdLife-Australia](/wiki/BirdLife_Australia "BirdLife Australia"): [common-blackbird](http://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/common-blackbird)
- [BOLD](/wiki/Barcode_of_Life_Data_System "Barcode of Life Data System"): [9563](http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/TaxBrowser_TaxonPage?taxid=9563)
- BOW: [eurbla](https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/eurbla)
- [BTO](/wiki/British_Trust_for_Ornithology "British Trust for Ornithology"): [bob11870](https://app.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob11870.htm)
- [CoL](/wiki/Catalogue_of_Life "Catalogue of Life"): [7CYVX](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/7CYVX)
- [eBird](/wiki/EBird "EBird"): [eurbla](https://ebird.org/species/eurbla)
- [EoL](/wiki/Encyclopedia_of_Life "Encyclopedia of Life"): [45510215](https://eol.org/pages/45510215)
- [EPPO](/wiki/EPPO_Code "EPPO Code"): [TURDME](https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/TURDME)
- [EUNIS](/wiki/European_Nature_Information_System "European Nature Information System"): [1332](https://eunis.eea.europa.eu/species/1332)
- [EURING](/wiki/European_Union_for_Bird_Ringing "European Union for Bird Ringing"): [11870](https://euring.org/edb/species-maps/sp11870.htm)
- [Fauna Europaea](/wiki/Fauna_Europaea "Fauna Europaea"): [97226](http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/taxon.php?GUID=urn:lsid:faunaeur.org:taxname:97226)
- [Fauna Europaea (new)](/wiki/Fauna_Europaea "Fauna Europaea"): [5be00f8b-1ac7-4637-a539-d8d539d44ee4](https://fauna-eu.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/5be00f8b-1ac7-4637-a539-d8d539d44ee4)
- [GBIF](/wiki/Global_Biodiversity_Information_Facility "Global Biodiversity Information Facility"): [2490719](https://www.gbif.org/species/2490719)
- [iNaturalist](/wiki/INaturalist "INaturalist"): [12716](https://inaturalist.org/taxa/12716)
- [IRMNG](/wiki/Interim_Register_of_Marine_and_Nonmarine_Genera "Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera"): [11164632](https://www.irmng.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=11164632)
- [ITIS](/wiki/Integrated_Taxonomic_Information_System "Integrated Taxonomic Information System"): [179757](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=179757)
- [IUCN](/wiki/IUCN_Red_List "IUCN Red List"): [103888106](https://apiv3.iucnredlist.org/api/v3/taxonredirect/103888106)
- [NBN](/wiki/National_Biodiversity_Network "National Biodiversity Network"): [NHMSYS0000530674](https://data.nbn.org.uk/Taxa/NHMSYS0000530674)
- [NCBI](/wiki/National_Center_for_Biotechnology_Information "National Center for Biotechnology Information"): [9187](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=9187)
- NZBO: [eurasian-blackbird](https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/eurasian-blackbird)
- NZOR: [2c4ddf57-35cb-46bc-8710-602cccc3dec2](https://www.nzor.org.nz/names/2c4ddf57-35cb-46bc-8710-602cccc3dec2)
- [Observation.org](/wiki/Observation.org "Observation.org"): [150](https://observation.org/species/150/)
- [Open Tree of Life](/wiki/Open_Tree_of_Life "Open Tree of Life"): [568572](https://tree.opentreeoflife.org/taxonomy/browse?id=568572)
- [Paleobiology Database](/wiki/Paleobiology_Database "Paleobiology Database"): [365958](https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon_no=365958)
- [TSA](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tierstimmenarchiv "de:Tierstimmenarchiv"): [18275](http://www.tierstimmen.org/en/database?field_spec_species_target_id_selective=18275)
- [WoRMS](/wiki/World_Register_of_Marine_Species "World Register of Marine Species"): [558602](https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=558602)
- [Xeno-canto](/wiki/Xeno-canto "Xeno-canto"): [Turdus-merula](https://xeno-canto.org/species/Turdus-merula)
- [ZooBank](/wiki/ZooBank "ZooBank"): [40B40163-936A-4075-8D36-96F6E2DD3334](https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/40B40163-936A-4075-8D36-96F6E2DD3334)

[Authority control databases](/wiki/Help:Authority_control "Help:Authority control"): National [![Edit this at Wikidata](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png)](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25234#identifiers "Edit this at Wikidata")

- [Germany](https://d-nb.info/gnd/4142291-0)
- [United States](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/sh85045793)
- [Israel](http://olduli.nli.org.il/F/?func=find-b&local_base=NLX10&find_code=UID&request=987007560490005171)

Retrieved from " [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common\_blackbird&oldid=1225277787](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_blackbird&oldid=1225277787)"

[Categories](/wiki/Help:Category "Help:Category"):

- [IUCN Red List least concern species](/wiki/Category:IUCN_Red_List_least_concern_species "Category:IUCN Red List least concern species")
- [Turdus](/wiki/Category:Turdus "Category:Turdus")
- [Birds of Europe](/wiki/Category:Birds_of_Europe "Category:Birds of Europe")
- [Birds of Central Asia](/wiki/Category:Birds_of_Central_Asia "Category:Birds of Central Asia")
- [Birds of Oceania](/wiki/Category:Birds_of_Oceania "Category:Birds of Oceania")
- [Birds described in 1758](/wiki/Category:Birds_described_in_1758 "Category:Birds described in 1758")
- [Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus](/wiki/Category:Taxa_named_by_Carl_Linnaeus "Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus")

Hidden categories:

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- [Featured articles](/wiki/Category:Featured_articles "Category:Featured articles")
- [Taxonbars with 35–39 taxon IDs](/wiki/Category:Taxonbars_with_35%E2%80%9339_taxon_IDs "Category:Taxonbars with 35–39 taxon IDs")

- This page was last edited on 23 May 2024, at 13:02 (UTC).
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