The blackbird is a well-adapted bird that can be admired in many gardens. Previously adapted to the changing conditions in the forest and in the field, it now also manages to multiply in the human environment, both in the villages and in the cities. The blackbird likes to breed in parks and gardens and always knows where to find its food there. The black male blackbird and brown female are common in gardens. Their singing is delightful.
Resident bird
The Dutch blackbird is a resident bird. He stays in our country summer and winter. The blackbirds from the countryside still want to migrate to the city in winter. In the city the climate is milder due to the shelter of the many houses and there is something to eat all year round. You can regularly see the blackbird roaming the gardens. The blackbirds from Northern Europe do migrate south in autumn. Many of them settle down with us, and when spring comes, they fly back to nest and brood.
Distribution and status of the species
Blackbirds are widely distributed throughout Europe and Asia and in North Africa. The blackbird is not an endangered species. Not even in Southern Europe, where they are still widely hunted. Unfortunately this is not prohibited there by law. The blackbird produces several clutches per year and thus happily maintains the species, despite the hunt for them by humans (Southern Europe) and by cats (like us).
General data
Turdidae, Turdus Merula
The blackbird belongs to the garden and city birds. Their order is that of the Passeriformes. The family is the Turdidae. They are about 25 cm long and weigh 80 to 100 grams. Their wingspan is 34 to 38 cm. Blackbirds live in undergrowth and undergrowth, and in bushes and hedges. They are also found in grassland where trees grow, in parks and in gardens. They easily adapted to humans and their urge to develop.
Sing and shout
They have a shrill alarm call and can sing in a varied and melodic way. Singing a blackbird makes you happy. In the spring and summer, the blackbird’s song is often the first thing you hear when you go outside. They can also imitate sounds made by other birds, especially whistling and squeaking sounds.
Eggs and brood
Blackbirds like to breed in hedges and dense shrubs. I once saw a nest at the bottom of a grill at the top of a staircase. Standing on the grid you could first see the eggs (speckled green) and then the little blackbirds with their open mouths in the nest. No problem for father and mother blackbird, who kept flying back and forth with food. Per year they lay 2 to 5 clutches of about 3 to 5 eggs. Incubation takes about two weeks. Father and mother blackbird alternate in brooding and foraging for food.
Age
Their lifespan is on average 2 to 3 years, although a blackbird can exceptionally live up to 10 years.
Appearance
A male blackbird is black and has an orange-yellow beak and an orange-yellow eye ring. The female and the young are brown. That way they stand out less. You see the male boy getting blacker after a few weeks.
Food
Blackbirds hop around to find food. Now and then they stop, their heads tilted, to listen to the rustle of the prey. Earthworms that have just raised their chests above the ground are completely pulled out and eaten by the blackbird. He also likes snails and insect larvae. It also eats seeds, berries and other fruits. A crumb of bread is certainly also for him. This makes the blackbird an omnivore (omnivore), the reason why it always finds something to eat.
Nest and brood
Build a nest
With the help of the male, the female builds a nest in a hedge, a bush or sometimes in an ivy. Mud sticks twigs, leaves, moss and hay together. The female lays about 3 to 5 eggs, spotted with blue-green brown.
Brood
The female in particular incubates for about two weeks, but the male occasionally takes over the brooding, so that Ma can also start eating. The blackbird can produce 2 to 5 clutches in one summer. If the young are not yet able to take care of themselves, they are fed by the male, while the female is already brooding on the next clutch.
Relationship
The Turdidae family, which includes the blackbird, also includes thrush, nightingale, robin and redstart. The blackbird female is confused with the thrush. The thrush, however, has a lighter belly and is spotted.
Not to this family belongs the starling (Sturnus Vulgaris), which is somewhat smaller than the blackbird and has a green-black plumage with black spots.