Common Blackbird
Turdus merula
The Common Blackbird (Turdus merula) is a common thrush found in 84 countries, weighing about 103 g. The common blackbird is a species of true thrush.
About the Common Blackbird
The common blackbird is a species of true thrush. It is also known as the Eurasian blackbird, or simply the blackbird. It breeds in Europe, western Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. It has a number of subspecies across its large range; a few former Asian subspecies are now widely treated as separate species. Depending on latitude, the common blackbird may be resident, partially migratory, or fully migratory.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
In Europe, the common blackbird can be confused with the paler-winged first-winter ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus) or the superficially similar common starling (Sturnus vulgaris). A number of similar Turdus thrushes exist far outside the range of the common blackbird, for example the South American Chiguanco thrush (Turdus chiguanco). The Indian blackbird (Turdus simillimus), the Tibetan blackbird (Turdus maximus), and the Chinese blackbird (Turdus mandarinus) were formerly treated as subspecies of the common blackbird. The common blackbird of the nominate subspecies T. m. merula is 23. Voice: In its native range in the Northern Hemisphere, 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. This is followed in late March by the adult male.
What the Common Blackbird sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Bhutan.
When to see it
The Common Blackbird can be seen all year round, with peak activity in May. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Common Blackbird?
- In Europe, the common blackbird can be confused with the paler-winged first-winter ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus) or the superficially similar common starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Common Blackbird?
- The Common Blackbird is a medium sized bird weighing about 103 g.
- Where can you see a Common Blackbird?
- The Common Blackbird occurs in 84 countries, including France, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain and Germany.
- What does a Common Blackbird sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Common Blackbird on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Common Blackbird?
- The Common Blackbird is most easily confused with the Song Thrush, the Fieldfare and the Redwing.
- Is the Common Blackbird endangered?
- The Common Blackbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Common Blackbird for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.