Things you need to know about BLACKBIRDS!

A short fact file about the Common Blackbird, including information about their diet, their appearance, how and when they nest and much more!
The blackbird is the fourth most common garden bird in the UK and a familiar sight around parks, gardens and woodlands across the country. Despite their name, only the males are truly black, females are dark brown and young birds have a more mottled brown colouring. Males also have a bright orange or yellow beak and eye ring, these are much duller in females and absent in young birds. They have a wingspan of 35 to 38 centimetres and grow to around 100grams in weight. They often move around by hopping rather than running and sometimes have their wings dropped and their tails raised as they do so.
Blackbirds are omnivores and will adjust their diet in line with the seasons, during the spring and summer they feed almost exclusively on worms and other invertebrates but during the autumn and winter they switch to eating mostly berries and fruits. They have a habit of wiping and insects they manage to catch on the ground or through grass to clean any dirt off before they eat.
Blackbird pairs hold territories throughout the year but during the colder months they allow other birds to enter and pass through without much resistance. However, come the spring time their territorial behaviour peaks and they become aggressive towards other blackbirds. It is during this time that the pair begin nesting, and when this depends a lot on the weather. In cold springs nesting can start as late as the end of march or even April but in other years it can begin from early February onwards. Research has also shown that blackbirds in towns and cities start nesting earlier than their countryside counterparts although if this is down to the increased artificial lighting or higher temperatures is not completely clear. The female alone creates the nest which is a cup shaped structure of twigs, leaves and other plant material lined with a thin layer of mud and grass. This is usually less than 2 metres from the ground amongst dense vegetation. Each clutch consists of 3 to 5 speckled blue eggs which the female incubates alone for 13 to 14 days. From here both parents feed the chicks who develop really fast. They usually fledge at around 14 days but can leave the nest and survive from as early as 9 days if it is disturbed. At the point of fledging the young cannot fly and spend several days on the ground whilst they find their wings. This can unfortunately result in a lot of them falling prey to cats or being unnecessarily rescued by well meaning people who assume they are injured or out of the nest too soon. Once the young have fledged the male does most of their feeding and after a further 2 to three weeks the youngsters move away from their parents territories. Each pair can produce 3 or sometimes four batches of young in a season and with the final clutch of the year they share out the parental duties a bit more. Each adult takes care of a portion of the fledglings which increases their chances of survival throughout the coming winter. Blackbirds mate for life and from the outside appear to be completely monogamous, however this isn’t always the case. Studies have shown that although a pair stay together, up to 17% of their eggs are not genetically related to the male with which the female is mated.
In the UK there are around 5 million pairs of blackbirds and this number swells to 15 million birds in the winter when some migrate here from Scandinavia and western Europe. A lot of young blackbirds do not survive to the point of fledging the nest with only around 30% of nests resulting in fledged young but if the birds survive to this stage they have an average life expectancy of 3.4 years. In extreme circumstances they can live for a lot longer than this with the oldest wild bird on record making it to 20 years and 3 months of age.
#blackbird
#gardenbirds
#ukbirds

Some of this footage was obtained using creative commons licences. Here are the originals.

[kennash]

Black birds, are the first up in THE morning, and last to bed, lovely birds

[ChrisBreemer]

I totally adore blackbirds. Their singing is one of the most beautiful sounds on earth, especially at dusk when they sit on rooftops and have lengthy and intent conversations with one specific peer some houses further on. Moments like that, especially when there's no human noise to interfere, I feel as if all is well with the world.

[PaulKnapper-cnio]

The Blackbirds song, must be one of nature’s sweetest, I never tire of listening to them 🙏🏻

[vibeslide]

I found a beaten up, one-eyed, female blackbird chick when i was 12. I raised her and kept her as a pet and she got really tame, hopping on my fingers, sleeping on my belly while i was watching tv and so on. She never flew, though, and i found her dead when she was about 4 years old. I'm really grateful for the time with her.

[thealternativeview]

There's one who sings from top a telegraph pole outside my kitchen window every night. The song of life I call it. Absolutely magical.

[keithmartland]

Hearing Blackbirds singing in the morning, you know spring is here! I remember during Covid when we had lockdown, i was a key worker and walking to work and back, that's all i could hear, Blackbirds everywhere, it was a joy to hear, it brighten up some dark days/weeks the country was going though!

[tarquinmidwinter]

So nice to stumble across a Youtube channel that isn't about culture wars or partisan politics. This is what life is really all about - blackbirds.

[Pobsta-dehb]

One thing I love about these birds is it is always the first one awake that you hear, and always the last in the evening to go to bed that you hear. Such beautiful birds

[simonetta-ta]

The blackbird sings so beautifully ‼️‼️

[asha]

I rescued a young blackbird from a cat in 2012, and now 10 years later (and a house move! We moved about a block and she found me again) she's still with us. It's been really neat to see her find a husband and raise their clutches every year- and shriek excitedly when I go outside in case I might have food for them. When I'm gardening, I have a dish that I chuck any undesirable bugs into and she/the husband are quite confidant in running up to me to eat them.

[chrisnewman]

The black bird was introduced into Australia 150 or more years ago, that the little things are cheerful glad to hear their song in the warmer months

[offbeat]

Blackbird's song always strikes me as one of the most beautiful things on this planet. It is especially touching when it bounces off echoey city walls. Interesting fact: these vocalizations have localized characteristics, just like human languages and dialects.

[victoriapacheco]

I had a blackbird friend. He was so smart, he used to leave his youngs in my garden while my partner was complaining, "This is not a kinder garden" 😊😊😊. My friend bird one day didn't come back. I still miss him. He used to come to me on the bench where I was scaping from the world and having a cigarette. I was an honor, my little friend.

[MM-yizn]

Blackbirds are truly smart. I just love them. And beautiful & caring to their young. Big respect. And to all birds. The world is so much better with them.

[anna-rexia]

The most beautiful songs come from these almost plain looking birds.

I adore them ❤

[saraandivanevans]

Blackbirds are my favourite, love their song, have since being a child. Now 72. Beautiful to listen to in the evening.

[simshogun]

We have lots of blackbirds and the same family lines for many years, I had a tame one I rescued and she used to go everywhere with me and would happily go in the car and she used to love going in the tractor through the roof and sitting on the dashboard, she bought her young to see me on the ground where I misted them with water and they washed and played; I had her for 7 years until the bad winter got her and I still miss shouting her in the morning for her corn flakes and bowl of water on the kitchen table for her breakfast.

[soifpls]

They're so cute 🖤 I love everything about them, their wonderful songs, their hasty demeanor, the way they rummage through fallen leaves to find insects, the intensity with which they bathe, projecting water everywhere lol, and simply their perfect shape and cute face. I love all birds but these ones have a special place in my heart 🥰

[robertcole]

The most appealing aspect to the blackbird, for me, is their song.
Almost a tropical tune.

[marychadburn]

I picked up a baby blackbird a few years ago and it was injured, a vet gave me some powder to sprinkle under its wing.. I tried to get it to fly away but it wouldn't go it lived indoors, then one day after nearly 2 years it decided to go.I felt very privileged to have had the pleasure it brought me.😊