Blackbird

Blackbird facts at a glance

How big is a blackbird?

An adult blackbird measures 27 cm long — about 16% of the height of an average adult person (1.73 m) — and weighs around 100 g, a small fraction of an average adult’s body weight (70 kg).

What is a group of blackbirds called?

Explore more animal collective nouns and baby animal names .

Appearance and sexes

The blackbird shows clear differences between the sexes. The male is entirely glossy black with a striking orange-yellow bill and a matching ring around the eye, while the female is a warm dark brown, often with faint mottling on the breast. Young birds resemble the female but are more rufous and spotted. Measuring about 27 cm (11 in) long with a wingspan of 34 to 39 cm and weighing 80 to 125 g, it is a medium-sized, round-bodied thrush.

The blackbird's song

The blackbird is one of the finest songsters of the European countryside and gardens, and its music is a large part of its fame. The male sings a rich, mellow, flute-like series of phrases, typically from a high perch, most intensely at dawn and dusk through the breeding season. The song is varied and improvised, with birds often weaving in imitations of other sounds. Alongside the song, blackbirds give sharp alarm calls and a low chuckling when disturbed.

Diet and foraging

Blackbirds are omnivores with a diet that shifts through the year. In spring and summer they hunt earthworms and insects, running and hopping across lawns and cocking their heads to listen and watch for movement before pulling prey from the soil. In autumn and winter they turn to berries and fallen fruit, and they readily visit gardens for windfall apples and food put out for them. This flexible diet is one reason they thrive so well alongside people.

Habitat and range

The common blackbird is widespread across Europe and into parts of Asia and North Africa, and has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. Originally a woodland bird, it has adapted superbly to gardens, parks, and hedgerows, and is now one of the most familiar birds of towns and suburbs. It forages on the ground in open, grassy areas but retreats to shrubs and trees for cover and nesting. This adaptability has made it abundant across much of its range.

Nesting and breeding

Blackbirds build a neat cup nest of grass, twigs, and mud, usually hidden in a shrub, hedge, or climbing plant. The female incubates a clutch of blue-green, speckled eggs, and both parents feed the chicks a steady supply of worms and insects. A pair often raises two or three broods in a single season, from early spring into summer. The young leave the nest before they can fly well and are fed by the parents for a while as they find their feet.

Lifespan and status

Life is short for most blackbirds, with the average bird living only about three to four years, largely because young birds face many hazards. Those that survive their first year can live much longer, with the oldest individuals reaching 20 years or more. The species is abundant and adaptable, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern. Its success in gardens and parks means people encounter it more often than almost any other thrush.

Did you know? Blackbird facts

• The common blackbird is a familiar garden thrush whose males are glossy black with a bright orange-yellow bill and eye-ring, while females are warm brown.
• A group of blackbirds is called a cloud, and sometimes a merl. A baby blackbird is called a chick.
• No. Despite the dark plumage of the male, the common blackbird is a thrush, related to robins and song thrushes. True crows, such as the carrion crow, are larger corvids with heavier bills.
• Only male blackbirds are glossy black; females are brown, which helps camouflage them while sitting on the nest. The species is named for the striking colour of the male.
• Blackbirds eat earthworms and insects pulled from the ground, plus berries and fruit in autumn and winter. They often feed on lawns and take windfall apples and berries in gardens.
• Conservation: Least Concern (IUCN).

Diet & feeding

Blackbird feeds primarily as a omnivore (worms, insects, berries, fruit). Blackbirds are omnivores that feed heavily on earthworms and insect larvae pulled from the soil, switching to berries and fruit in autumn and winter. They forage mostly on the ground, flicking aside leaf litter to find food. Windfall apples and b

Adaptations

• The blackbird's song is a leisurely, mellow, flute-like warble delivered from a high perch, especially at dawn and dusk in spring and summer. Males sing to claim territory and attract a mate, and each bird improvises its own varied phrases. Blackbirds are also known for a loud, chattering alarm call and for the way they hop across lawns, pausing with head cocked to listen for worms.
• Blackbirds are omnivores that feed heavily on earthworms and insect larvae pulled from the soil, switching to berries and fruit in autumn and winter. They forage mostly on the ground, flicking aside leaf litter to find food. Windfall apples and berry-bearing shrubs make gardens especially attractive to them in the colder months.

Behaviour & ecology

• The blackbird's song is a leisurely, mellow, flute-like warble delivered from a high perch, especially at dawn and dusk in spring and summer. Males sing to claim territory and attract a mate, and each bird improvises its own varied phrases. Blackbirds are also known for a loud, chattering alarm call and for the way they hop across lawns, pausing with head cocked to listen for worms.
• Blackbirds are omnivores that feed heavily on earthworms and insect larvae pulled from the soil, switching to berries and fruit in autumn and winter. They forage mostly on the ground, flicking aside leaf litter to find food. Windfall apples and berry-bearing shrubs make gardens especially attractive to them in the colder months.
• Male and female blackbirds look quite different. The male is all glossy black with a striking orange-yellow bill and a matching ring around the eye, while the female is dark brown, often with faint mottling on the breast, and a duller bill. Young birds resemble females. This clear difference between the sexes is unusual among common garden birds.

Communication

• Blackbird uses calls and visual displays to communicate territory, alarm, and breeding status.
• Vocal repertoires vary by species and are often learned or refined during development.

Habitat & range

Gardens, woodland, parks, hedgerows

Ecological role

Blackbird contributes to seed dispersal, insect control, or nutrient cycling depending on diet and foraging habits.

Conservation status of the Blackbird

Sources & references

This guide is compiled and reviewed against established zoological and conservation references. Key sources for the Blackbird:

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

  Conservation status (Least Concern) reflects the IUCN Red List category for Turdus merula.

• iNaturalist — observations & photos

  Search citizen-science observations and community IDs for Turdus merula. Useful for range checks and recent sightings — not a substitute for formal Red List status.

• GBIF — occurrence data

  Global Biodiversity Information Facility species search for Turdus merula. Explore published occurrence records used in range research.

• eBird — bird observations

  Cornell Lab eBird target search for Blackbird. Check recent checklists and seasonal abundance where birders report this species.

• IUCN Red List — Turdus merula.

  Conservation status (Least Concern) and population trends.

• Animal Diversity Web — Turdus merula. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

  Life history, morphology, and range.

• Wikipedia — Blackbird.

  General taxonomy and overview (cross-check primary sources).

• Global Animal Guide editorial standards

  How we research, source, review, and update every guide for accuracy.