Genus Turdus, subfamily Turdinae, family Muscicapidae: four species, in particular T. merula, the male of which has all-black plumage and a yellow bill
‘If no berries remain, having been stripped earlier by blackbirds and mistle thrushes, they perish.’
‘The thicker scrub and thickets of elder, hawthorn and bramble, meanwhile, provide ideal cover for nesting robins, wrens, sparrows, dunnocks, blackbirds and thrushes.’
‘The ubiquitous starling is one of the most widespread problem species but blackbirds, partridges, robins, sparrows, thrushes, and finches are also common.’
‘The redwing, fieldfare and blackbirds are all involved in serious territorial swoops between trees.’
‘Birds such as starlings, blackbirds, thrushes and dunnocks will use a lawn to hunt for worms and insects, so maintain good drainage and limit compaction to help them probe in its surface.’
2An American bird with a strong pointed bill. The male has black plumage that is iridescent or has patches of red or yellow.
Family Icteridae: several genera and species, including the abundant red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
‘Unlike dowdy, brown females of the species, male blackbirds possess bright yellow-to-orange beaks and shiny black plumage.’
‘I pulled over at Schaar's Bluff, turned off my car and just sat and listened, beyond the bluebirds and meadowlarks you could hear tree sparrows and red-winged blackbirds.’
‘I went down towards the creek and found a huge flock of robins, grackles and red-winged blackbirds foraging.’
‘We waited hours for several common birds - blue jay, northern flicker, and fish crow - but missed red-winged blackbird and American robin.’
‘Down in the bog, the first red-winged blackbirds were yodeling, and a robin sang in the evening.’
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