Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula) lives in woodland and gardens across Europe, Asia, North Africa, Australia, New Zealand. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Hear the Eurasian Blackbird
A real field recording of the Eurasian Blackbird, made in the wild.
A common blackbird lives just a few years on average. The species has an average life expectancy of 2.4 years, and, based on data from bird ringing, the oldest recorded age is 21 years and 10 months. The longest known lifespan of the European blackbird in the wild is 21.8 years but the average lifespan is 2.4 years.
Urban gardens turn into blackbird apartment blocks, packing up to 7.3 breeding pairs per hectare, roughly three pairs per acre, while a woodland only supports about a tenth of that density. Each pair defends a home range of roughly 12,700 square metres, and nests are typically spaced at least 30 m apart. Such high densities in human-made habitats reveal how the species exploits abundant food and warm microclimates.
A three-year study of 118 Eurasian blackbirds in southern Germany showed that migration carries no overall energy savings. Researchers retrieved more than 890,000 heart-rate and body-temperature readings from 83 birds, finding that migrants lowered their heart rate a month before departure but did not show reduced energy use once they arrived. This overturns the classic idea that birds migrate to escape the cold, suggesting hidden costs such as immune challenges or competition drive the journey.
Female blackbirds lay three to five eggs, usually four, each measuring 2.9 cm × 2.1 cm and weighing 7.2 g, with 6 % of that weight made up of shell. The average clutch size across the species is about three eggs, and a prolific pair can produce up to 24 eggs per year.
Ticks love rural blackbirds but avoid city dwellers. In France, 74 % of rural blackbirds were found to be infested with Ixodes ticks, while only 2 % of urban birds carried them. This stark difference stems from the easier tick-finding environment of uncultivated countryside versus manicured lawns and gardens. It shows how urbanization can indirectly protect birds from certain parasites.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
RangeEurope, Asia, North Africa, Australia, New Zealand
HabitatWoodland and gardens
DietInsects and fruit
About the Eurasian Blackbird
In the misty dawn of a forest glade, the Eurasian Blackbird emerges, its sleek, iridescent plumage glistening like polished onyx as it moves with purpose, its sharp, probing beak twitching with every step. With a fluid, almost furtive gait, it navigates the underbrush, its bright, inquisitive eyes scanning the leaf litter for hidden treasures, its melodic song a rich, throaty whisper that weaves in and out of the trees. As it flits between the shadows, its very presence seems to embody the essence of the wild, a fleeting glimpse of a secret world that lies just beyond our reach.
Advertisement
Hear the Eurasian Blackbird, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
