The blackbird (Turdus merula), which is unmistakable for its size and characteristic colouring, is one of the most common breeding bird species in Europe. It is estimated that between 40 and 80 million pairs of birds prefer to raise their young in the vicinity of human settlements.

Blackbird nests are welcome in the garden

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. courtship and nest building
  3. Blackbird breeding season
  4. frequently asked Questions

    5. the essentials in brief

    • Blackbirds breed very early in the year, the breeding season often begins as early as the end of February
    • only the female blackbird breeds, the young birds are cared for by both adults
    • usually two to five broods per year, often so-called box broods
    • Breeding season extends into August
    • Blackbirds are resident birds and often use the nest in winter

    courtship and nest building

    Blackbirds reach sexual maturity at the age of one year - so last year's chicks breed in the next season. This hurry is also necessary, because with an average age of four to five years, free-living blackbirds do not get very old - in human care, on the other hand, the animals can reach up to 20 years.

    In late winter or early winter, the male begins to court the female, which is reflected in the characteristic song and the observable display step - standing upright and puffed up. After mating, the future blackbird parents look for a suitable nesting site, with the nest being built by the female alone.

    digression

    melodic singing

    You can also recognize blackbirds by their characteristic, melodic song. This sounds fluting and is often performed from a higher vantage point. In case of danger (such as when someone approaches the nest), a loud scolding is heard.

    When and how long do blackbirds breed?

    Blackbird nests can often be seen as early as the end of February

    "Don't take home any apparently abandoned young birds, they are still being fed by their parents!"

    Blackbirds start breeding very early in the year: from the end of February, the female lays up to six often bluish, sometimes brownish eggs in the nest that was built within a few days from moist earth, blades of grass, twigs and other materials. The female blackbird lays one egg per day, from which the chicks hatch one after the other after about two weeks of incubation.

    • only the female blackbird breeds
    • the hatched chicks stay in the nest for about two weeks
    • then they leave it, but remain nearby and are fed
    • this period lasts about three weeks
    • Nestlings are fed by both adults
    • after leaving the nest, often only the male blackbird feeds

    Once the young birds have left the nest, the female blackbird often starts with the next brood - the birds raise between two and five, sometimes even six, clutches per year until August. The blackbird pair often stays together over this one season.

    digression

    The blackbird - a typical culture successor

    Originally, the blackbird was primarily at home in dense forests. However, around 150 years ago, the songbirds began to invade gardens and other human habitats. Today they are mainly to be found in larger settlements and large cities - the food supply is better, and the birds are also better protected from predators. Blackbirds find suitable nesting sites in bushes and trees, even on balconies, and short-grass lawns also offer favorable conditions for foraging.

    frequently asked Questions

    How do I make my garden breeding-friendly for blackbirds?

    Nesting sites must be quiet and protected

    As a rule, blackbirds do not breed in nest boxes, but like to take on dense hedges and trees. Nests are often found in coniferous or beech hedges, but other plantings - such as the geranium box on the balcony - are also welcome, provided it is quiet there and the birds are not disturbed much. You should also keep the garden free of pesticides and other toxic pesticides so that the animals can find enough food. A lawn or meadow area also provides blackbirds with food.

    How often do blackbirds breed in the same nest?

    The female blackbird often uses the nest built in spring for further broods. In any case, it broods about two to four times a year, with the next brood often already beginning when the last chicks are still being fed by the blackbird father. The biologist describes this behavior as box brood.

    What enemies are blackbirds threatened by?

    Blackbirds have many enemies: birds of prey, but also magpies and crows are after the songbirds. Fledgling young birds are often inexperienced and careless, they fall victim to the predators mentioned, but also to cats and foxes. The nests are often plundered by magpies and squirrels.

    What do blackbirds eat?

    Blackbirds are pronounced soft food eaters, whose diet consists largely of worms and beetles. They look for them on the ground - often after a downpour, after which the brooding female leaves the nest for a short time. In addition, blackbirds also eat berries and fruits, for example mountain ash, cornel cherries, ornamental apples, elderberries. Plant such shrubs in the garden and provide blackbirds and many other bird species with food and hiding places.

    Are there different types of blackbirds?

    Blackbirds belong to the thrush family and are closely related to the fieldfare (Turdus pilaris, often found in larger groups), the song thrush (Turdus philomelos, loud song, often breeds hidden in conifers) and the redwing (Turdus iliacus (commonly breeds in conifers, little melodic singing).

    tips

    Cutting hedges and trees is prohibited between March 1st and September 30th. This measure is not intended to annoy you as a gardener, but to protect breeding birds.

Category:

Animals in the garden