Blackbird
Turdus merula
Conservation status: Green – Common
When to see: January to December
About
Blackbirds are a common sight in the UK, with their melodious song and the male’s jet-black feathers. They can be spotted hopping around parks and gardens, digging for worms and insects with their beaks. Interestingly, despite their name, males are black, while females are often more mottled brown in appearance. During the breeding season, they build nests out of twigs and grasses in bushes, ivy or trees. Blackbirds are omnivores, eating anything from seeds and berries to small creatures like slugs or insects.
Female blackbird
Juvenile blackbirds have similar physical characteristics to adult blackbirds but with mottled brown plumage and lighter underbelly. Unlike their adults, juveniles also have prominent pale spots on their throats. They typically leave the nest after around two weeks but are still reliant on their parents for food for another one to three weeks. Juvenile blackbirds learn how to forage during this time by following their parents’, searching through lawns and leaf litter for earthworms, insects, spiders and berries.
Juvenile blackbird
| See also different: | Garden birds |
