Common Blackbird
Turdus merula
Aves › Passeriformes › Turdidae › Turdus
Conservation status: least_concern
The male Common Blackbird is unmistakable with its all-black plumage and bright yellow-orange bill and eye-ring, while females are brown with a speckled breast and duller bill. It's a familiar garden bird across Europe and Asia known for its rich, flute-like song and habit of foraging on the ground by hopping and turning over leaf litter.
How To Identify
Medium-sized passerine with a glossy black male plumage and an orange-ringed bill that contrasts sharply with its feathers. Females are typically duller brown or olive but retain the species' characteristic robust body shape.
Habitat
The Common Blackbird lives in woodland, parks, gardens, and hedgerows across Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Behaviour
Forages on the ground, cocking its head to listen for earthworms beneath the soil. Sings most actively from February through July.
Did You Know?
Blackbirds are among the first birds to sing at dawn and last to stop at dusk.
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