European Blackbird

European Blackbird 

(Turdus merula), a bird of the family Turdidae of the order Passeriformes. The body length is about 25 cm. The male has shiny black plumage and a yellow bill. The female and the young of both sexes are brown. The European blackbird is distributed in Europe, Northwest Africa, and Asia. In the USSR the bird is found from the western borders eastward to the Southern Urals; its range also includes the Caucasus and the mountains of Middle Asia. The bird lives in deciduous and mixed forests, as well as in orchards and parks. In Western Europe it is common in cities. The song of the male is very beautiful. The nests are on the ground near tree roots, on stumps, or on bushes. A clutch contains four to seven light blue speckled eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 13 or 14 days. The diet consists of insects, worms, mollusks, berries, and small fruits.