Diet
It looks for earthworms, insects, snails and other animals without backbones on the ground. It also eats berries and fruit in season. When looking for food, it often turns over leaves or scratches at the soil with its beak.
Common blackbird
Turdus merula
Listen to the voice
Alexey Trubin · GagraGeorgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 23.5–29 cm
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Status in Georgia
- Year-round resident
- Habitat
- Woodland / gardens
- Family
- Turdidae
- Global status
- Least Concern
Turdus merula lives in Georgia year-round and nests there. Adult males have black feathers, a yellow-orange beak and a yellow ring around the eye; females are dark brown. It is not dangerous to people. You can see it in forests, among bushes, and in parks and gardens.
Identification
How to identify Common blackbird
An adult male is black, with a yellow-orange beak and a yellow ring around the eye. Females and young birds are brown and may also have spots on their chests. So not every bird of this species is black.
The bird is about 23.5–29 cm long. It often hops on the ground.
Unlike the adult male, the female has dark brown feathers and a paler beak. A young blackbird has spots on its chest, so it can be hard to identify by color alone. A young robin is also brown and speckled: when briefly seen in the bushes, it may look like a young blackbird. The robin is much smaller, and a young robin has a light brown stripe on its wing.
An adult male Turdus torquatus has a white band on its chest. Turdus philomelos is smaller, with a brown back and a pale, spotted chest. Turdus viscivorus is larger and grayer, with large spots on its chest. Turdus pilaris has a gray head and a chestnut-colored back; it is seen in Georgia during migration and also spends the winter there.
Often confused with
In Georgia, the blackbird is found in forests, floodplain woodlands, shrubland, parks and gardens, including in settlements. Places where trees and shrubs provide cover are especially suitable for it.
Distribution confirmedfield records
Recorded only · 1
The common blackbird map uses public iNaturalist photo observations in Georgia. Regions come from the records-by-region table: only confirmed status counts as distribution; otherwise a region is not treated as part of the range. Record counts reflect observation effort, not population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
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- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Confirmed distribution region
12 photos · 11 photographersView all photos
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Common blackbird.
Yes. It nests in Georgia and is found there year-round.
In forests, floodplains, shrublands, parks and gardens, including in populated areas.
The adult male is black, with a yellow-orange beak and a yellow ring around its eye. The female and young birds are brown; the male thrush with a white throat has a white band across its chest.
The bird is about 23.5–29 cm long.
It eats earthworms, insects, snails and other animals without backbones. It also eats berries and other fruit in season.
It is found in Georgia year-round and nests there.
Yes. As of 2024, this species breeds in Georgia and is found there year-round.
It is not dangerous to people. It is assessed as facing little threat worldwide; it was not included in Georgia’s 2014 Red List. Do not catch wild birds.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
