BLACKBIRD, name given to a bird originally known as ousel (q.v.), though this has since been transferred to other species.
The blackbird (Turdus merula) is a close relative of the thrush (q.v.). It is one of the commonest of British birds. The males, which are said to preponderate, are recognizable by their black plumage and orange bill. The females are more thrushlike, being a dusky brown and the beak is also dark.
The blackbird is an early nester, often beginning to lay in February, and raises two broods in the year. The nest, usually placed in bushes or hedgerows, is made of hay and coarse grass, neatly interwoven and lined with hair and fine grass. The eggs, 3 to 5 in number, are pale blue-green, mottled with brown. The young resemble the female in colour. Its food consists of fruits, buds, insects, worms, snails, etc. The song is mellow and flutelike, and by some people is preferred to that of the thrush.
The blackbird is widely distributed over Europe and Asia, and, despite occasional raids on fruit-trees, is, on the whole, a beneficial species.
For the North American "blackbirds," see GRACKLE.