Thrush (50 photos) - description of the bird, what it eats and where it lives

general description

Blackbirds are very diverse, so it is quite difficult to derive a general description. But the most common one is the song thrush, so that’s what we’ll start from.

Appearance

Blackbirds are passerines and have the same characteristic body structure. The length of the blackbird is up to 25 cm with an average weight of up to 100 g. The wingspan reaches 40 cm, but in general the size range varies several times. For example, the weight of the smallest gray-throated blackbird is about 20 g, and the largest great one is 175 g.

The thrush has a very characteristic manner of movement: they seem to jump and squat. The birds have a small, graceful head with large black eyes, suggesting that they were previously only nocturnal.

The beak of the thrush is thin, short, but very strong. The body looks stocky, and the wings are not too large. This also determines the terrestrial lifestyle of most blackbirds. The more nimble nomadic species have much larger and sharper wings.

Photo: placepic.ru

Male and female thrush: differences

There is also no certainty here. If in some species of blackbirds females and males are almost the same, then in others this dimorphism is clearly pronounced. Most often this applies to variegated species. In general, females are slightly smaller than males.

Photo: zen.yandex.ru

Singing

The thrush is considered the best performer among passerines, but in reality this only applies to the common song thrush. It is his trills that are so sonorous and harmonious throughout the spring. By the way, even the name “thrush” appeared because it is somewhat consonant with the sounds that birds make.

Photo: erbirds.ru

Albino blackbirds

An interesting natural fact: albinos are often found among blackbirds. This is not some kind of curiosity, and snow-white birds can be found even in our villages or outside the city. But in wild forests they are less common, because there they are excellent prey for predators.

Photo: pinterest.ru

How long do blackbirds live?

Wandering blackbirds live for about 3-5 years due to their dangerous lifestyle. More sedentary birds live much longer - up to 11 years. There are even known cases of the appearance of 15-year-old individuals. In captivity, some species can live up to 20 years.

Photo: fotokto.ru

LIFESTYLE

The blackbird is one of the most numerous species of birds. Previously, blackbirds lived only in forests, mostly deciduous, with dense undergrowth. About 200 years ago they also moved to city parks and gardens, and over the past 80 years they have even populated large cities in large numbers. Nowadays, blackbirds are found in all gardens, parks and cemeteries. The presence of people does not bother them at all. Blackbirds spend most of their time on the ground. It is interesting to watch how blackbirds get their food: at the same time, they jump along the ground, raising their tails, and stopping for a while to explore the soil. The thrush's singing is quite noisy, with many shades. Unlike the song thrush, it produces some melodies slowly. Most often the blackbird can be heard early in the morning.

Types of blackbirds

There are so many varieties of thrushes that it is impossible to sort through them all at once. Therefore, we have chosen those species that are most often found and are the most popular!

song thrush

It is also common and widely inhabited in our latitudes. It has a mottled olive-brown coat with a light belly and a yellowish chest.

Photo: photocentra.ru

White-browed Thrush

It can be recognized by the characteristic white stripes above the eyes, which really resemble eyebrows. These thrushes prefer birch groves, are not afraid of cold weather and thrive in rocky areas.

Photo: krasivosti.pro

Blackbird

It lives mainly in forests and has a very secretive and cautious character. Externally, blackbirds are very similar to jackdaws, but up close you can see the presence of spots.

Photo: krasivosti.pro

wood thrush

It is also called stone, and it is the smallest representative of its family. Its plumage is blue, and its white belly and red breast contrast sharply with it.

Photo: funart.pro

Field Thrush

This species got its name for its love of berries in general and rowan in particular. The Pied Brown Thrush is especially common in Siberia. He has a very harsh singing of a collection of creaks, grinding and squeals.

Photo: placepic.ru

Mistle Thrush

Large European blackbird, the largest among its relatives. It settles almost everywhere, including near people. The porridge has a very interesting spotted abdomen, slightly reminiscent of a leopard print.

Photo: komotoz.ru

Waxwing (60 photos): description of the bird, where it lives and what it eats

INTERESTING FACTS, INFORMATION…

Blackbirds living in cities sometimes even nest in flower pots, on window cornices and balconies.
There is a known case when a pair of blackbirds had four clutches over the course of a year and raised 17 chicks.
The female blackbird resembles a song thrush, whose throat and chest are also spotted. Sometimes male blackbirds mate with female songbirds and they produce offspring.
During autumn migrations south, strong winds can carry flocks of blackbirds to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Lifestyle of blackbirds

Despite the fact that thrushes settle closer to the ground in the lower tiers of the forest, they are very active and mobile. Even sedentary birds often travel for weeks in search of food.

Habitats

Blackbirds were originally distributed primarily in New Zealand. Since then they have spread to other continents. Moreover, they are completely indifferent to their lifestyle: they can live independently or in groups, in trees or almost on the ground.

Photo: altzapovednik.ru

Diet

Blackbirds feed on insects of all types and sizes, including caterpillars and butterflies. Some species prefer larvae, slugs and snails. Of course, blackbirds love seeds and berries. Some species can eat carrion and even the chicks of other birds.

Photo: erbirds.ru

Wintering

Blackbirds are migratory birds, so all inhabitants of middle and northern latitudes go to warmer climes for the winter. Basically, they temporarily settle in warm European countries and in the northern regions of Africa. Blackbirds are not afraid of frost, so they return from wintering very early. And if there is food, they may not fly away at all.

Photo: erbirds.ru

Captivity

Songbirds and blackbirds have long been captured for their beautiful singing. They do well in captivity if you provide them with a spacious cage with everything they need and, of course, a bath and a soft ceiling. Blackbirds are very clean, so it is important to keep order. In addition, they do not like to share territory with competitors, so in this case it is better to keep them separately.

Photo: clasbio.ru

Jay (50 photos): description of the bird, what it eats and where it lives

Blackbird breeding

Depending on the weather, thrushes nurse up to two clutches of 3-7 chicks each during the season. Sometimes in one nest you can find chicks of different ages. Blackbirds enter the mating season at 2 years of age. Then they begin to break into pairs and maintain them throughout the season.

Nesting begins in April, but this depends on the region and weather. With the help of their songs, blackbirds not only form pairs, but also notify of danger, and even motivate the chicks to fly.

Blackbirds have fairly large nests and are easy to spot in nature. They are usually found at a height of 1 to 4 m from the ground between tree branches, made of sticks, straw, roots, moss and bark. In addition, blackbirds like to settle in hollows, gorges, stumps and dense bushes.

Blackbird eggs are green or blue, sometimes speckled. They are incubated by the female, but the male can replace her as needed. The male does not obtain food, but carefully guards the territory. The chicks are fed by both parents for 1.5 to 2.5 weeks.

Photo: canon-fan.com

Lifestyle and habitat

The cardinal bird lives almost throughout the entire territory of both Americas. It appeared in Bermuda only in the 18th century, when people brought several dozen individuals there and bred them artificially. Currently, the cardinals there have completely acclimatized and are reproducing on their own.

The habitat of the northern cardinal is gardens, parks, forested areas, and bushes. In urban areas it is also common, which is due to the absence of excessive timidity in the bird’s character.

This sociable red-feathered bird easily makes contact with humans. From the sparrow she inherited fearlessness, impudent behavior, and thieving habits. It will not be difficult for a cardinal to fly into an open window of a house, feast on everything he finds edible there, and also take food with him.

The sounds produced by the Virginia cardinal are varied. This is a very talkative bird. When communicating calmly with each other, cardinals make soft chirping sounds. The iridescent trills characteristic of males are reminiscent of nightingale songs. And the quiet singing of females is also melodious, but not so varied. When birds are frightened, their chirping becomes a sharp, loud cry.

Listen to the voice of the red cardinal

One of the distinctive features of cardinals is their excellent memory, acquired through many centuries of evolution. They are able to remember all their numerous stashes of pine seeds, which are collected in September and hidden in places known only to them to eat their favorite food all winter.

So, during September, a cardinal can hide up to 100 thousand pine seeds in the rocky environs of the Grand Canyon, which covers about a hundred kilometers, where the red bird likes to settle. Without this ability to remember stashes, the bird will not be able to survive the long winter. Even if the landscape changes under the snow, she finds about 90% of the hidden seeds. The remaining 10% germinates, renewing the forests.

Natural enemies

Human activity is dangerous for blackbirds. We have to fight them in garden plots, because the voracious birds literally destroy the crop. In the wild, their main enemies are large birds, cats, hedgehogs, snakes, martens and squirrels. Predators are especially attracted to defenseless, but bright and noticeable clutches.

Photo: russia.birds.watch

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