The blackbird, an ally of gardeners
Common in our gardens, in the city as well as in the countryside, the blackbird captivates us with its melodious song. Far from being harmful, this magnificent sparrow, known for its dark plumage and yellow beak, is the gardener's ally. Because even if it likes summer fruits, it repels many molluscs and insects classified as pests in orchards, amusement parks and vegetable gardens.
The characteristics of the blackbird
The blackbird (Turdus merula) is a passerine bird belonging to the family Turdidae, of which there are several subspecies. In Europe, we find the standard, that is to say that we use it to identify the species.
Outside of Europe, blackbirds are found in other parts of the world, in North Africa and Asia. It has even been introduced to New Zealand and Australia. Depending on the geographical area in which it lives, the blackbird can be migratory or sedentary. With us, he is sedentary because he does not leave our country in winter.
At most, he can approach the wintering grounds there to escape the harsher climate during the off-season.
Robins feed on insects, snails and slugs, caterpillars, worms and various larvae. He is very fond of berries and loves the summer fruit of cherries. In search of food on the ground, it will not hesitate to push aside leaves and plant debris with its claws. He is so tenacious that he can spend hours searching.
The way he moves is very special because he jumps on both legs at the same time. This is another unique sign that is easily recognizable. The life expectancy of a blackbird is around 16 years.
Sexual dimorphism
Adult males have dark brown legs and black jay feathers all over their body, neck and head. It has a ring around its eye that can be orange-yellow or bright yellow. As for its beak, it contrasts with the uniform black because it is a very bright orange-yellow.
The vividness of the color of the eyering, beak, and feathers can indicate the quality of the territory in which this sparrow lives, but it can also indicate its reproductive capacity and, more generally, its physical condition.
The adult common blackbird has reddish-brown plumage, more or less black all over the body depending on the individual, except for the markings on the throat, and its light brown chest. It has very light brown eye-rings. Its beak is not as shiny as that of the male and is usually brown, sometimes dotted with a small yellowish area.
Reproduction of the adult blackbird
From the end of February, the black thrush sings melodiously to attract the black thrush, and male and female mating begin from the beginning of spring. This beauty builds its nest on its own with twigs, feathers, plant fragments, and anything else it can find. She installs this nest in a bush, in a very dense tree, or in the center of a hedge.
Blackbirds lay 3 to 5 eggs in each clutch. She can have up to 3 children per year. After about fifteen days of brooding, hatching begins. Each blackbird is lovingly nurtured by its father and mother, who take turns caring for their young for about 5 weeks. In fact, blackbirds start to fly when they are 15 days old, but they stay in the nest for about 20 days, during which time they continue to be fed by their parents. Then, they will definitely leave the family lair which is the nest.
Physically, juveniles have more or less dark plumage and are generally spotted, closer to the mother, and their eye outlines are less pronounced. The color of the plumage is highly variable from one blackbird to another, with the first moult between August and October, during which each chick loses its juvenile plumage.
The darkest are the males of the blackbirds. at the age of 1 year, the sparrow's beak takes on the definitive yellow color, and the plumage takes on a very black color. So, it is easy to distinguish adult blackbirds from juvenile blackbirds.