Common blackbird

The common blackbird, Turdus merula, is a thrush of the family Turdidae that breeds across Europe, western Asia and North Africa and has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have glossy black plumage, a yellow eye-ring and an orange-yellow bill, while females and young birds are sooty brown with duller bills; the species measures 23.5 to 29 centimeters long and weighs 80 to 125 grams. Depending on latitude, populations are resident, partially migratory or fully migratory, with northern birds wintering as far as tropical Asia and northern Africa. It is an omnivorous bird that builds mud-bound, cup-shaped nests, is well known for its rich, melodious and sometimes mimicking song, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a European population estimated at 79 to 160 million.