Bird Album
Common Blackbird
Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758
24–29 cmLength36 cmWingspan103 gWeight
The male is black overall with a yellow eye-ring and orange-yellow bill, while the female is dark brown.
Busiest months: April–May · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Australia
Looks like Chinese Blackbird
How to identify
Field marks
- Male is black overall with a metallic gloss
- Adult male of nominate subspecies has a yellow eye-ring
- Adult male of nominate subspecies has an orange-yellow bill, slightly duller in winter
- Adult male of nominate subspecies has blackish-brown legs and feet
Male, female and young
Female is smoky-brown, with a whitish throat and faint breast spots; juvenile resembles female, with pale spots on the upperparts.
Voice
Song is rich and melodious.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: April–May · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Australia
Common Blackbird has been recorded at 1,726 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 80 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Amwell HMWT NRUnited Kingdom7,537 records
- Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom6,013 records
- Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature ReserveAustralia5,994 records
More places
- Jerusalem Bird ObservatoryIsrael5,599 records
- Txingudi – PlaiaundiSpain5,573 records
- Desembocadura del Guadalhorce – ÁreaSpain5,032 records
- Beddington FarmlandsUnited Kingdom4,203 records
- Royal Botanic Gardens MelbourneAustralia4,130 records
- Parque El Retiro-MadridSpain3,882 records
- Royal ParkAustralia3,788 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Common Blackbird?
The Common Blackbird is about 24–29 cm long, with a wingspan of 36 cm and weighs around 103 g.
Where does the Common Blackbird live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental: widespread. It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, Spain and Australia.
When is the best time to see the Common Blackbird?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April and May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Common Blackbird endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Common Blackbird as Least Concern.
What does the Common Blackbird eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Common Blackbird in?
It belongs to the family Thrushes (Turdidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 24–29 cm
- Wingspan
- 36 cm
- Weight
- 103 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 128 mm
- Tail
- 106 mm
- Bill
- 28 mm
- Tarsus
- 34 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic, Oriental: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Thrushes Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
Other birds in the genus Turdus
Ethiopian ThrushTurdus simensis
Groundscraper ThrushTurdus litsitsirupa
Chinese ThrushTurdus mupinensis
Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
African ThrushTurdus pelios
Principe ThrushTurdus xanthorhynchus
Sao Tome ThrushTurdus olivaceofuscus
Abyssinian ThrushTurdus abyssinicus
Taita ThrushTurdus helleri
Usambara ThrushTurdus roehli
Olive ThrushTurdus olivaceus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Andreas Trepte. ↗
Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.