Scientific name:
Turdus merula

Natural spread:
global occurrences

the blackbird, blackbird or Merle is a widely-known Singvogel on the basis of its frequency from the type of the throttles. it is widespread not only over whole Europe but as well in the northwest-like Africa, in India and China. In America, the way of life of the traveling-throttle (Turdus migratorius) with that of our blackbird is comparable in its multiplicity.

Habitat Originally a shy forest-bird, the blackbird adapted herself to the culture-landscapes and is to be found in the parks and gardens of human settlements today as well. In southern countries, it broods also on high mountains and migrates into the milder level only in the autumn. The most northern spread-area is left over winters of both sexes, otherwise only the boys and a part of the females move into the hibernation-areas in south and Western Europe; in cities, they behave Z for itself. T. even like stand-birds.

Coloring The males are colored weak-black and have an orange-yellow beak. From the metallic shiny star with its pure-yellow beak, the blackbird-cocks differ in a longer tail furthermore. The females are dun on the other hand, stained more brightly and usually easily on the underside. they have a yellow beak with black top in the spring, in the autumn, it becomes brown like with the squabs. Also otherwise, the boys look like the females.

Reproduction Blackbirds nest on trees as far as to a height of 10 m in a branch-fork originally. However, they become much more frequent in the undergrowth, in strongly deformed sterns and natural and artificial hiding places in more inferior height found. Also the construction of the nest varies, that is built only by the female. Plant-parts - in the difference to the Singdrossel (Turdus philomelos) - become - that use Holzmulm -, with mud and moist earth sticks together. Therefore, it is called also "dirt-blackbird." The Erdlage is padded with thin stalks on the other hand. End of March or beginning April, one finds the first brood, who consists of 5-6 eggs. The eggs are easily bluish-green, drawn differently bay all the time. The female broods alone approximately for 14 days; only occasionally, the male sits on the nest. The slipped boys are still looked after by both alto-birds for 3 weeks approximately. 2-3 are normal, more rarely 4 yearly-broods consecutively.

Enemies, nutrition Particularly the squabs are tough in natural surroundings through jays and squirrels, in who city endangers through cats. In order to avoid damages to ornament-plantations and gardens, its nests are also excluded from the human being frequently. The blackbirds rummage especially gladly on the food-search of earthworms, maggots and insects in beds namely, however, also plant-pests like snails and bugs destroy on that occasion. Through the strong decimation of the gripping-birds and the change of its way of life as Kulturfolger as nest-robbers, the blackbirds are a danger for other Singvögel on the basis of its strong increase-possibilities. Soft fruit and all types of berries are also eaten.

Chant The blackbird-cocks let in the morning and in the evening resound its chant in a tree or from the ridge of a house highly above. On this occasion, individual motives are lined up, but repeats rarely directly. The chant is so characteristic, that each male, who is with its own "melody", still delimits so small precinct with some practice to recognize from the listener is.