Squad - Passeriformes
Family - Blackbirds
Genus/Species - Turdus merula. Blackbird
Basic data:
DIMENSIONS
Length: 25 cm.
Weight: 80-105 g.
REPRODUCTION
Puberty: from 1-2 years.
Nesting period: usually from March to August.
Carrying: 2 per year.
Number of eggs: 3-5 eggs.
Incubation: 12-14 days.
The chicks remain in the nest: about 14 days.
LIFESTYLE
Habits: blackbird (see photo of the bird) during the nesting period the bird protects its territory. Winters and migrates in a flock.
Food: soft fruits, worms, slugs, insects.
RELATED SPECIES
Song thrush, white-billed thrush and thrush- - characteristic representatives kind of blackbirds.
The male blackbird can be easily identified by its shiny black plumage, yellow beak and yellow eye rims. The plumage of the female, on the contrary, is inconspicuous, brown tones. It has a whitish throat and rusty buff spots on the chest.
WHAT DOES THE BLACKBIRD EAT?
The blackbird is not picky in choosing food and finds it at any time of the year. His favorite delicacy is worms, of which he prefers earthworms. In summer, the diet is replenished with insects and various fruits, and in winter with ripe berries. The bird receives the necessary liquid with food.
During heat and drought, when the worms hide deep underground, the thrush looks for other food containing liquid, for example, caterpillars, green aphids, fruits and berries. The blackbird usually finds food on the surface of the ground. You can often see the bird jumping through short-cropped grass, in which it looks for worms. Stopping and bowing its head to the side, the blackbird suddenly rushes forward and slowly but decisively pulls its prey out of the ground. The boldest blackbirds await prey while watching the gardener at work.
LIFESTYLE
The blackbird is one of the most numerous species of birds. Previously, thrushes lived only in forests, mostly deciduous, with dense undergrowth. About 200 years ago they also moved into city parks and gardens, and over the past 80 years in large quantities even inhabited megacities. Nowadays, blackbirds are found in all gardens, parks and cemeteries. The presence of people does not bother them at all. Blackbirds spend most of their time on the ground. It is interesting to watch how blackbirds get their food: at the same time, they jump along the ground, raising their tails, and stopping for a while to explore the soil. The thrush's singing is quite noisy, with many shades. Unlike the song thrush, it produces some melodies slowly. Most often the blackbird can be heard early in the morning.
REPRODUCTION
During the nesting season, which sometimes begins as early as February, the male blackbird jealously defends his territory. Adult males usually occupy their previous year's territories and mate with permanent partners.
Blackbirds differ from other members of the family in that they make nests on the ground or on low stumps. They build cup-shaped nests from grass, leaves and soil. Having completed the construction of the nest, the female begins to pester the male - she jumps in front of him with her beak and tail held high. The male responds by singing, puffing up his feathers and spreading his tail. Shortly after mating, the female lays 3-5 gray-green speckled eggs and incubates them. Chicks are born after 12-14 days. The chicks are cared for by both parents, who catch and bring them insects.
The cubs grow quickly and leave the nest within two weeks. Young blackbirds that have fallen out of the nest fly poorly; for the first few days they mostly jump on the ground. Adult birds warn them of danger with shrill cries. Blackbirds usually have two clutches per summer. Chicks from the first clutch have the best chance of survival.
THRUSH OBSERVATIONS
You don't have to travel far to see a blackbird - you can even see it in the city center. Busy searching for food, it quickly and deftly jumps along the ground with its tail slightly raised and wings lowered - thanks to this behavior it can be easily distinguished from a rook. After all, the same black one is distinguished by the fact that it calmly walks on the ground. In the forest, blackbirds act contentedly solitary life, so it’s much more difficult to meet them here. And in the forest you can hear the song of this bird. It resembles the song of a songbird, but the blackbird's song is a little slower and sadder.
- Blackbirds living in cities sometimes even nest in flower pots, on window cornices and balconies.
- There is a known case when a pair of blackbirds had four clutches over the course of a year and raised 17 chicks.
- The female blackbird resembles a song thrush, whose throat and chest are also spotted. Sometimes male blackbirds mate with female songbirds and they produce offspring.
- During autumn flights to the south strong wind can carry flocks of blackbirds to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE BLACKBIRD. DESCRIPTION
Female: It has dark brown plumage, a whitish throat, and rusty buffy spots on the chest. In older females, the beak turns yellow.
Male: has incredibly black plumage, a yellow beak and a border around the eyes.
- Habitat of the blackbird
WHERE DOES THE BLACKBIRD LIVE?
In Europe, the blackbird lives everywhere, with the exception of the Far North, and also in North West Africa, in Asia. Settled in Australia and New Zealand.
PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION
The blackbird has adapted well to life near humans. He became a frequent visitor to city parks and gardens.
The blackbird is singing. Video (00:03:45)
The boy tried very hard, filmed in the Romashkovsky forest.
Blackbird. Video (00:05:48)
The blackbird sings to the accompaniment of other forest birds. Filmed in the forest at a recreation center.
The blackbird belongs to the order Passeriformes. Included in the numerous genus of thrushes and forms separate species. What is so special about this bird? She's a great singer. He loves to sing during dawn and sunset. At the same time, the sounds produced are somewhat reminiscent of playing a flute. A little singer lives in the forests. He loves forest edges and large clearings. In cities, blackbirds can be found in parks and wooded areas surrounding residential areas.
This species is very numerous. It lives almost throughout Europe. A small bird can even be found in northern regions Scandinavia. The singer also lives in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. This North Africa. He settled well in Asia Minor, Southwestern and coastal regions of India. There is a bird in South Australia and New Zealand. So many inhabitants of the planet can enjoy the beautiful singing of the thrush.
Appearance
The blackbird is a small bird. In length, including the tail, it reaches only a quarter of a meter. It usually weighs 100-120 grams. Black color is characteristic only of adult males. The yellowish-orange beak stands out against a black background. Circles of a similar color are present around the eyes. Females have dark brown plumage. Their tail is dark, and the lower part of the body is lighter than the upper. Chicks of both sexes are colored exactly the same as females.
Reproduction and lifespan
Blackbirds found in northern regions migrate south in winter. Southerners live sedentary lives. Migrants fly in small flocks. They appear in nesting areas in early May. Married couples these birds create for life. Nests are made both in the crowns of tall trees and on the ground. The nest is shaped very much like a cup. Such a structure can reach 10 cm in height. It is made from twigs, leaves, and grass. The diameter is usually 7-8 cm.
The clutch most often consists of 4 eggs. Rarely there are 5 or 7. The eggs are bluish-green with reddish-brown spots. Incubation lasts 12-14 days. Chicks are born naked and blind. Their feathers grow two weeks after birth. After 3 weeks they already leave the nest, but their parents continue to feed them until the second clutch. Birds living in southern regions, can make 3 clutches per year. The blackbird lives in wildlife on average 3-4 years. These birds are ringed. The oldest representative of the species died at the age of 22 years. It is quite possible that among the unbanded pichugas there are individuals of a more respectable age.
Nutrition
This bird is omnivorous. She eats almost all insects and loves worms. From plant foods he prefers seeds and berries. Feeds on the ground. Loosens the soil and pulls out worms. Very often determines their location by ear. Sometimes the blackbird preys on frogs and lizards. Enjoys eating caterpillars. Animal food predominates in the pichuga's diet. This is especially important during the breeding season, since the fruits are still immature at this time. Plant food depends on the region where it lives. The bird allows itself to feast on domestic vegetation. This species has been living near people for several centuries and feels quite comfortable next to such neighbors.
Guess the riddle: what kind of black bird with a black beak? Some might think it's a rook, but no! This is just his “twin” - a black crow. Indeed, both species of birds are similar to each other, like two peas in a pod. However, they are led to different sides. in general, it is one of the first birds that were ever described by Carl Linnaeus himself. Let's talk about her.
Appearance
This is a black bird with a black beak and the same paws. However, it cannot be called completely black. If you look closely, you can see that its plumage has a green or purple sheen. Some ornithologists say that the structure of its feathers completely repeats the structure of the feathers of rooks, even the reflection of them from time to time becomes the same. However, this is completely different types birds.
Not to be confused with rooks!
It is worth noting that this bird is completely different from the common raven and from its closest relatives, the hooded crows. Moreover, it is so similar to the rook that both of these species are often confused with each other. Remember, the beak of a black crow is much larger than that of a rook. Moreover, in adult rooks the nostrils are bare, while in black crows of different ages they are covered with bristly feathers.
Rooks are distinguished from crows by the bright violet-blue shine of their plumage. Their beaks are not as huge as those of their black “doubles”, and near the legs grow so-called “panties” - feathers covering them. However, the most important feature that distinguishes black crows from rooks is the presence of wide and rounded feathers on the back of the latter’s head.
Rooks usually live in flocks, while crows usually live in pairs. Often both feed within the same habitat. As you know, crows are cunning and arrogant birds. This is what saves them in winter: they gather in groups of 15-20 individuals, after which they occupy the nests of their “doubles” - rooks. So, we have caught the difference between the two, now let’s look at the classification of black crows.
Classification
As we said above, the black bird with a large beak is one of the few species of birds described by the scientist Carl Linnaeus in the first place. This happened back in the 18th century. Both hooded and black crows are divided into distinct and independent subspecies. Often both birds are considered subspecies within the same species. In principle, this is not a serious mistake. This is rather a formal inaccuracy.
By the same principle, the Far Eastern black crow is often considered within one species, which is also not entirely true. To show the difference, here is the correct classification of the crow superfamily:
- ordinary gray;
- eastern gray;
- ordinary black;
- eastern black.
Scientific treatises describe cases of human encounters with crows that have some strange dark spots on their beaks. Some ornithologists at first even wanted to describe them as a separate species, but after a while it became clear that the black spots on the bird’s beak are a sign of some kind of disease, and not distinctive feature new type.
Where do black crows live?
The carrion crow, or black bird with a large beak (as it is sometimes called), is widespread in western Europe: as far as the Elbe, towards Vienna, through the famous Alps to northern Italy. In the East and in the territory Eastern Siberia Another common species is the hooded crow. She, like her relative, has a black and long beak, but her plumage is not pure black, but dirty
Nesting
As a nesting site, a black bird with a long beak chooses the edges of forests and copses located among meadows and fields. These birds settle in huge numbers in the center major cities. Some residents are afraid of them, based on some prejudices associated with black crows, witches and mysticism.
These creatures never nest in colonies (as rooks do), but only in separate female-male pairs. This period begins with the arrival of the first warm days of March. Ornithologists give birds their due, because couples remain faithful to each other throughout their lives. So this bird (black with a black beak and paws) can serve as a symbol of fidelity and love.
They build their nests high above ground level - in the dense and intertwined crowns of trees. The “foundation” is broken dry branches, moss and clay. Black crows line the walls of their nests with grass and wool. As a rule, from 3 to 6 eggs appear in one nest. And here, too, a reservation should be made: crow eggs very much resemble rook eggs. Only the female incubates them. The male gets food at this time.
After just 2 weeks, the eggs hatch into chicks. For some time after their birth, the female still warms the children, after which, together with the male, she begins to look for and bring them food. What a bird! The black crow with a black beak and paws grows quite quickly: within a month, the chicks soar into the sky, roaming with their parents in various surroundings until the onset of winter.
Nutrition
These birds eat carrion of all kinds with great pleasure. They will not refuse insects, worms, arachnids, small mammals and food waste. Ornithologists believe that all black crows are scavengers in their own way. inner nature. That's why they visit human dwellings so often, because there are a lot of household waste. Oh, and this black bird with a big beak is a prankster!
These gluttons love to ruin huge amount nests of innocent birds, because we have already said that their favorite delicacy is eggs. In addition, black crows willingly devour grains, fruits and berries, and green parts of plants. They can chase dogs and foxes for their prey. Of course, it’s difficult to imagine exactly how they are going to kill a huge dog, but the sporting interest has not yet been canceled.
Arrogance is the second happiness!
Ornithologists who have conducted research and observed the behavior of birds claim that this is a very careful, resourceful and intelligent bird. A black crow with a black beak, plumage and paws, in their opinion, is a real generator of ideas: as soon as these creatures come up with ways to get food for themselves. Deception and deception are in their blood. The black crows that inhabit Europe are generally annoying to the point of impudence!
By the way, these smart creatures also think through their behavior during nesting in advance. Not only are their “houses” located on high altitudes(they themselves behave in such a way that it is difficult to identify them: the chicks in the nest are calm and quiet, and their parents even more so. If a group of crows in winter experiences any difficulties in searching for food, then they join without any twinge of conscience to flocks of jackdaws and rooks, even if they are not asked to do so.
Benefit
The economic importance of black crows in human life is difficult to overestimate. These creatures destroy various garbage and carrion, and also exterminate harmful rodents and insects. They love to destroy bird nests, but this is not a reason to consider them pests.
