dawn chorus, alarm call, a moult in august. i do it all, loudly.
Blackbird says
Bird 25 of 30 · video, 40:52
Blackbird
Turdus merula
Jet-black with a yellow bill, a melodious songster and a loud alarmist, with a tatty spell in late summer.
- Medium, 101.8 g
- Some come and go
- Hedge or shrub
- On the ground or lawn
- On a feeder or bird table
About the blackbird
Marks and dots
Tap a numbered dot, or a name in the list.
A distinctive yellow bill.
Jet-black plumage all over.
A dark bill.
Browner than the male, and still easy to spot.
From egg to adult
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Egg
Eggs3–4 eggs BTO
Hatch after13 days video, BTO agrees
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Chick in the nest
In the nest for14 days video, BTO agrees
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Young bird
An average of three to four fledglings leave the nest, about two weeks after hatching.
Adult
Male jet black, yellow bill; female browner
Broods a yearup to 3 broods video, BTO agrees
BTO averages: 13 days incubating the eggs, then 15 days in the nest. Averages across nest records, so the figures above can differ a little.
At the table
- not said in the video
The video does not say what blackbirds eat. BTO says they forage on the ground, turning over leaf litter, and also visit flat feeders such as bird tables.
This page mentions bird tables. Since April 2026 the RSPB and the BTO advise against them, and say to feed seeds and peanuts only from November to April. What changed, and why.
Through the year
Blackbird: around Jan to Dec; moulting out of sight, mid-August to late September, Aug to Sep; winter visitors swell numbers, Dec to Feb; first eggs laid 22 Mar to 14 Jun, average 22 Apr (BTO); first chicks leave the nest 16 Apr to 14 Jul (worked out from BTO). Winter is read as December to February.
What to know about the blackbird
Eight short notes in our own words. Each chip says what the note stands on, and links to its row in the table below.
What to look for
One of the easiest garden birds to know: the male has jet-black plumage and a distinctive yellow bill.
The young
An average of three to four fledglings leave the nest, about two weeks after hatching.
Song and call
A fluent songster and a melodious part of the dawn chorus, but perhaps better known for a loud alarm call.
Feeding
The video does not say what blackbirds eat. BTO says they forage on the ground, turning over leaf litter, and also visit flat feeders such as bird tables.
not in the video
Staying or leaving
The only time of year you are unlikely to see a blackbird in your garden is between mid-August and late September: the birds look tired and rather threadbare as the summer wears on, then vanish to moult. They return with fresh new feathers for the autumn. Through the winter their numbers rise as migrants from northern Europe join them.
In the garden
Busy right through the summer, often raising as many as three broods.
Sources and checks
Where every fact about the blackbird came from
15 claims about the blackbird: 7 checked, 4 from the video only,0 differ, 4 from a source only. How the grades work
| Claim, in our words | Video time | Grade | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| The male blackbird has jet-black plumage and a distinctive yellow bill. | 40:52 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO says adult males are black with a contrasting yellow bill and eyering. |
| The female is browner with a dark bill, and is also easy to spot. | 41:04 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO says females are browner and streakier. |
| A fluent songster and a melodious contributor to the dawn chorus. | 41:11 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO describes a fluting, melodic song often performed from a high perch. |
| It is perhaps better known for its loud alarm call. | 41:17 | video only | |
| Cup-shaped nests are usually camouflaged a few feet up in hedges. | 41:24 | video only | |
| Blackbirds are busy through the summer, often raising as many as three broods.video: up to 3 broods | 41:19 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 2–3 broods (5 exceptionally) (BTO typical)up to 3 sits between BTO's typical top (3) and the most BTO records (5) |
| The eggs hatch after 13 days.video: 13 days | 41:32 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 12–14 days (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 12–14 |
| An average of three to four fledglings fly the nest. | 41:35 | video only | |
| They leave some two weeks after hatching.video: 14 days | 41:37 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 13.5–16 days (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 13.5–16 |
| Between mid-August and late September blackbirds look tired and threadbare, then disappear from view to moult, and return with fresh feathers for the autumn. | 41:41 | video only | |
| Throughout the winter months blackbird numbers increase as migrants from northern Europe swell the population. | 42:03 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO says the UK also hosts many additional birds from northern Europe in winter. |
| BTO says the blackbird is found almost everywhere in Britain and Ireland apart from the highest ground, and is particularly numerous in gardens. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO's introduction to the species. |
| Adult weight, from ringing records: 101.8 g, adult average. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 101.8 g, adult average |
| Timing of the first clutch: first eggs laid around 22 Apr (22 Mar-14 Jun). | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: first eggs laid around 22 Apr (22 Mar-14 Jun) |
| Typical clutch: 3–4 eggs (BTO typical). | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 3–4 eggs (BTO typical) |
Written in our own words after “British Birds in your Garden” by The Great British Channel, where the blackbird starts at 40:52.Numbers are checked against the BTO's page for the blackbird, read on 5 October 2026. We are not connected to the channel or to the BTO.
More birbs: 30 so far, and more to come
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