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. |