Common Blackbird

Also known as Turdus merula, Blackbird, Eurasian Blackbird

species of thrush

OverviewAI-generated

The common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a species of bird classified within the family Turdidae, order Passeriformes, class Aves, and phylum Chordata. It was described by Linnaeus in 1758. The organism exhibits diurnality and oviparity. Other common names for this taxon include Eurasian Blackbird, Amsel, Merle noir, and Mirlo común.

Its range extends across Africa, Poland, and Europe. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as Least Concern, with this status recorded in 2024. Physical characteristics include a wingspan of 36 and a litter size of 5. The egg incubation period lasts 13 days.

Synthesized by Vinony from 34 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, iNaturalist, IUCN Red List, WoRMS, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Least Concern

common blackbird

Species

PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyTurdidae

Observations250,956

Turdus merula Détail tête d'une femelle. Illustration du Merle noir, Nederlandsche Vogelen (Oiseaux des Pays-Bas), vol. 1 (1770). Le Merle noir (Turdus merula), ou plus communément Merle, est une espèce de passereaux de la famille des turdidés. Le merle niche en Europe, Asie et Afrique du Nord, et a été introduit en Australie et en Nouvelle-Zélande. Il existe plusieurs sous-espèces de Merle noir sur sa vaste aire de répartition dont certaines sous-espèces asiatiques sont considérées par certains auteurs comme des espèces à part entière. Selon la latitude, le Merle noir peut être sédentaire ou migrateur, partiellement ou entièrement. Le mâle de la sous-espèce holotype, celle qui est la plus répandue en Europe, est entièrement noir, à part le bec jaune et un anneau jaune autour de l'œil, et possède un vaste répertoire de vocalisations tandis que la femelle adulte et les juvéniles ont un plumage brun. Cette espèce niche dans les bois et jardins, construisant un nid en forme de coupe aux formes bien définies, bordé de boue. Le Merle noir est omnivore et consomme une grande variété d'insectes, de vers et de fruits. Mâle et femelle ont un comportement territorial sur le site de nidificat

via IUCN

Wikidata facts

Instance of: taxon
Parent taxon: Turdus
Image: Amselmännchen der Unterart T. m. azorensis auf Terceira.jpg

Show 15 more facts

taxon rank: species
IUCN conservation status: Least Concern
taxon name: Turdus merula
Commons category: Turdus merula
Commons gallery: Turdus merula
described by source: Gujin Tushu Jicheng
wingspan: 36
litter size: 3
egg incubation period: 13
taxon common name: melro-preto
diel cycle: diurnality
short name: T. merula
female form of label: kosovka
taxon range: Europe
has characteristic: oviparity

Sources (11)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Encyclopedic overview

The common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a species of true thrush. It is also known as the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), 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.

The adult male of the common blackbird (Turdus merula merula, the nominate subspecies), which is found throughout most of Europe, is all black except for a yellow eye-ring and bill and has a rich, melodious song. The adult female and juvenile have mainly dark brown plumage. This species breeds in woods and gardens, constructing neat, cup-shaped nests bound together with mud. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms, berries, and fruits.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Common Blackbird” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.