30 things you need to know about the Common Blackbird (Turdus merula), a bird found across Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia. It is also present in Australia and New Zealand where it was introduced in the 19th century.
The video looks at the Common Blackbird’s distribution, favoured habitats, appearance, size and weight, diet, nest construction and breeding cycle. The video also includes a male Common Blackbird singing its rich fluty song.
Several subspecies of Common Blackbird are found across its range. This video features the nominate subspecies Turdus merula merula which is found across most of Europe. The adult male has black plumage with a yellow-orange bill and eye ring. The adult female is dark brown often with lighter brown streaks on the chest. Juveniles are also dark brown with lighter steaks and sometimes a speckled chest. Length: 24-25 cm (9.4-9.8 in), Wingspan: 35-37 cm (13.8-14.6 in), Weight: 80-105 g (2.8-3.7 oz).
Favoured habitats include woodland, farmland, parks and gardens. Common Blackbirds usually feed on the ground. Their diet is varied and includes earthworms, insects, fruit and berries.
Common Blackbirds typically raise two or three broods a year. The female builds a cup-shaped nest using grasses, small twigs and other vegetation. The nest is usually built in a bush, climbing plant, small tree or inside an accessible building. The female typically lays between 3 and 5 eggs and incubates them for around two weeks. On hatching, the chicks are featherless and entirely dependent on their parents care. Both parents feed the chicks.
After feeding, the parent often leaves the nest with a faecal sac, disposing of it well away from the nest. This behaviour keeps the nest clean and means predators are less likely to find the nest by its smell. The chicks leave the nest around two weeks after hatching and are fed by their parents for further 2 or 3 weeks.
The Common Blackbird sings its rich fluty song throughout the breeding season. At other times of the year it sings a more subdued version.
The Beatles included a Common Blackbird singing on their song ‘Blackbird’.
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7 окт 2021
