Granddad’s Camera
Blackbird, as it appears in the game

No.002 · Birds · Common

Blackbird

Turdus merula

Glossy black male with a golden-yellow bill and eye-ring; the brown female is easily missed. Its rich, fluting song is a sound of British evenings.

When to look

All year, mostly at dawn, day and dusk.

Time of day

Best time
Dawn and dusk. Sings February–July; feeds on lawns after rain.
Where in the game
Millbrook (garden, park, churchyard, urban and canal)
Size
Length about 24 cm
Wingspan
About 36 cm
Weight
About 102 g (BTO adult average)
Lifespan
Average about 3 years; the oldest ringed bird lived over 15 years (Wildlife Trusts, BTO)
Population
About 5.1 million pairs in the UK (BTO, 2016)
Status
Green (Birds of Conservation Concern 5, 2021)

Diet

Earthworms, insects and berries; windfall apples and ivy berries in autumn and winter.

Habitat

Gardens, hedges, parks and woodland edge; one of the most widespread British birds.

Breeding

Nests from late March, in hedges and shrubs; usually 3–4 eggs, 2–3 broods; the female builds the nest and incubates alone.

Field signs

  • Male: all black, bright orange-yellow bill; female: dark brown with faintly streaked breast
  • Loud 'chink-chink-chink' alarm at dusk; fluty, unhurried song from a rooftop or aerial
  • Leaf-litter thrown about under hedges as it hunts insects

Did you know?

  • Winter blackbirds in Britain are joined by migrants from Scandinavia and the near Continent, so the bird on a January lawn may not be local.
  • Once a shy woodland bird, the blackbird moved into British towns in the 19th century and is now one of the commonest garden birds.

Moments worth waiting for

  • Rooftop song February to July, dawn and dusk
    A male blackbird sings from the chimney pot, pouring out fluting phrases as the light fades.
  • Worm hunt after rain March to June and September to November, day and dawn
    After a shower a blackbird runs, freezes, tilts its head and drags out a long worm.

Rare forms and local legends

  • Leucistic blackbird A rare colour form, about 1 in 50 sightings
    Leucism is a lack of pigment in some feathers. Blackbirds and house sparrows are the birds most often reported with it. The white pattern stays for life, so a local can recognise the same bird year after year (BTO).
  • Half-Moon A local legend
    A local blackbird whose white crescent makes it recognisable year after year. Territorial blackbirds sing from the same high perch at dawn and dusk.

Photo tip

Low angle on the lawn after rain, when they hunt worms in the open. Sun behind you brings out the gold of the bill; a slow burst of frames when it cocks its head.

Be a good naturalist

Do not disturb nests in hedges: blackbirds desert easily in early laying. Keep cats indoors at dawn and dusk in spring.

The law

All wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; it is an offence to kill, injure or take them or damage an active nest.

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