DISSEMINATION
|
DISSEMINATION |
|
|
||
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|
| Phylum | Chordata | |
| Class | Aves | |
| Order | Passerifores | |
| Family | Turdidae | |
| Genus | Turdus | |
| Species | merula | |
| Classification | Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Common name | blackbird | |
| Size | 24 - 25 centimeters | |
| Wing Span | 34 - 38 centimeters | |
| Male weight | 80 - 110 grams | |
| Female weight | 80 - 110 grams |
| Geographic Range | Europe (with the exception of northern Scandinavia), North Africa, Lesser Asia, India, China. |
| Physical Characteristics | the male has black plumage, which makes the yellow beak and yellow eye ring stand out. In the first year the male has more brown feathers and also the beak tends to be brownish. At the end of the winter and during the breeding season the beak of the male is bright orange and that marks the sexual maturity of the blackbird. The female is brown all over, with darker streaking on the lower parts. When they are on the ground in search for food they keep their tail up. |
| Call | it has a large repertoire of song-phrases. It sings in a melodic way for most of the year. |
| Behaviour | it walks leaping irregularly; it is very agile on the ground. During the breeding season males fight to keep their territory singing very loud and pursuing each other; the blackbird can be observed singing from the tops of the roofs, from trees and from aerials. |
| Habitat | parks, gardens, woods, bushes, cultivated areas. |
| Flight | it performs low and short flights. |
| Food habits | insects, worms, fruit. |
| Migration | the populations that are found in the northern areas migrate and spend winter more south, while those that are in the mildest zones are resident. |
| Nidification | the nest is made of twigs, leaves and moss bound with saliva and lined with blades of grass, leaves and sometimes with feathers too. The nest is often built on the main branch of a tree, among bushes or among shrubs creeping along the walls of the houses, on cornices or on building projections. There may be two or three clutches a year, the first of which occurs between March and April with 4-6 eggs. The female incubates the eggs for 12-14 days sometimes with the help of the male. The young are fed by both parents during the two weeks they spend in the nest and for a further two weeks after they are fledged. |
| Sources | |
| References | Oiseaux.net |
| Web References | http://www.tljones.co.uk/blckbird.htm http://www.oiseaux.net/ |
| Source of the photo | http://mrw.wallonie.be/ |
| Source of the call | http://www.sonidosdelanaturaleza.com/ |
| Source of the video | http://www.hbw.com/ |
Turdus merula
