Eurasian Blackbird

The Eurasian Blackbird is a familiar thrush found throughout gardens, parks, and woodlands across its range. The male is entirely glossy black with a striking orange-yellow bill and matching eye-ring, while the female and juveniles are dark brown, sometimes with faint mottling on the breast, and a duller, brownish bill. Its melodious, fluting song is considered one of the finest of any European songbird.

Often seen hopping across lawns, pausing to cock its head while listening and watching for earthworms, the Blackbird is a familiar and much-loved garden companion across much of its range.

Key field marks

• Male: all-black plumage, bright orange-yellow bill and eye-ring
• Female/juvenile: dark brown overall, sometimes faintly mottled below, duller bill
• Medium-sized thrush shape, longish tail often held cocked

Similar species

• Common Starling is smaller and stockier with a shorter tail and glossy, speckled plumage.
• Female Blackbirds can resemble other brown thrushes but lack the spotted breast pattern of species like the Song Thrush.
• Ring Ouzel, a scarcer relative, shows a white breast crescent absent in the Blackbird.

Habitat

Inhabits woodlands, hedgerows, farmland, parks, and gardens, thriving especially in areas with lawns or open ground for foraging alongside cover for nesting.

Range

Widespread across Europe, North Africa, and western Asia; introduced populations exist in Australia and New Zealand.

Migration

Partially migratory; northern and eastern populations move south in winter, while many western European birds are resident year-round.

Behavior

Forages mainly on the ground, running and hopping across lawns and leaf litter while listening and watching for movement, then pulling earthworms from the soil.

Voice

A rich, melodious, fluting song delivered from a high perch, often at dawn and dusk; alarm call is a loud, chattering "chook-chook-chook" or shrill "seee."

Feeding

Eats earthworms, insects, and other invertebrates, along with berries and fruit, especially in autumn and winter.

Nesting

Builds a sturdy cup nest of grass, twigs, and mud in a shrub, hedge, or tree; lays 3-5 pale blue-green eggs with reddish-brown speckling, often raising multiple broods per season.