Family Thrushes (Turdidae)
Least Concern
Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Taxonomy
French: Merle noir German: Amsel Spanish: Mirlo común
Other common names:
Common Blackbird
Taxonomy:
Turdus Merula
Linnaeus
, 1758,Europe = Sweden
.
Subspecies and Distribution
T. m. merula
Linnaeus, 1758 – Europe (except SE).
T. m. azorensis
E. J. O. Hartert, 1905 – Azores.
T. m. cabrerae
E. J. O. Hartert, 1901 – Madeira and W Canary Is.
T. m. mauritanicus
E. J. O. Hartert, 1902 – NW Africa.
T. m. aterrimus
(Madarász, 1903) – SE Europe, W & N Turkey, Caucasus area, N Iran and adjacent S Turkmenistan; non-breeding also Middle East.
T. m. syriacus
Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833 – islands of S Greece (N Cyclades and Crete), SW & S Turkey and Levant.
T. m. intermedius
(Richmond, 1896) – W Altai#R and Tien Shan S to W & NE Afghanistan; non-breeding also Iraq E to S Afghanistan.
Introduced to Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, subsequently present also on Lord Howe I, Norfolk Is, Macquarie I and Kermadec Is.
Descriptive notes
24–27 cm; mainly 85–105 g. Male nominate race is entirely black, with yellow or orange-yellow bill and eyering, blackish legs. Female is dull dark (slightly... read more
Voice
Song, by male from elevated perch, a leisurely series of very mellow, slurring whistled phrases (up... read more
Habitat
Very broad range, from remote mountainous areas to busy city centres. Main and original habitat... read more
Food and feeding
Invertebrates, mainly earthworms and insects and their larvae, also fruits and seeds and, occasionally, small vertebrates; highly flexible... read more
Breeding
Mid Mar to early Sept in Europe, usually from end Apr in both Finland and former Czechoslovakia; Mar–Jun in Canary Is, Mar–Jul... read more
Movements
Sedentary, partially migratory and fully migratory, depending mainly on latitude. In N Europe,... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Generally common to abundant. Rather scarce breeder S Tunisia, common in N; abundant in Israel following major expansion of range and... read more
Until recently considered conspecific with T. mandarinus (which see) and formerly with T. maximus and T. simillimus. Proposed race insularum from S Greek islands (Lesbos, Andros, Ikaria, Samos, Crete, Rhodes) considered indistinguishable from syriacus. Seven subspecies recognized.