Tibetan Blackbird
Turdus maximus (Seebohm, 1881)
23–28 cmLength90 gWeight
The male is blackish-brown overall and lacks an eye-ring.
Busiest months: July and October · Most records: China, Bhutan, Nepal
How to identify
Field marks
- No eye-ring
- Male is blackish-brown, darker on head, breast, wings and tail
- Male has a dull orange-yellow bill
Male, female and young
Female is browner below, with faint throat streaks; juvenile resembles female, with gray-tinged yellowish-brown barring from belly to vent.
Voice
A low “chut-ut-ut”, and a short “chak-chak-chak-chak” in flight.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: July and October · Most records: China, Bhutan, Nepal
Tibetan Blackbird has been recorded at 28 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Shugseb NunneryChina72 records
- NorbulingkaChina52 records
- The Potala PalaceChina38 records
More places
- Lhasa [urban area & surroundings]China23 records
- Drepung MonasteryChina10 records
- YadongChina8 records
- Namtso LakeChina5 records
- Yamdrok LakeChina5 records
- Jigme Dorji NP – Cheri valleyBhutan4 records
- Godavari Botanical GardensNepal4 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 Tibetan blackbird (Turdus maximus) is a species of bird in the thrush family Turdidae. It is found in the Himalayas from northern Pakistan to southeastern Tibet. Originally described as a separate species by Henry Seebohm in 1881, it was then considered a subspecies of the common blackbird until 2008, when phylogenetic evidence revealed that it was only distantly related to the latter species.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Tibetan Blackbird?
The Tibetan Blackbird is about 23–28 cm long and weighs around 90 g.
Where does the Tibetan Blackbird live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: Himalayas from northern Pakistan to southeastern Tibet. It is most often recorded in China, Bhutan and Nepal.
When is the best time to see the Tibetan Blackbird?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July and October (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Tibetan Blackbird endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Tibetan Blackbird as Least Concern.
What does the Tibetan Blackbird eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Tibetan Blackbird in?
It belongs to the family Thrushes (Turdidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 23–28 cm
- Weight
- 90 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 152 mm
- Tail
- 126 mm
- Bill
- 25 mm
- Tarsus
- 36 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: Himalayas from northern Pakistan to southeastern Tibet
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 Вадим Ивушкин. ↗
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