Common Blackbird

• The colour of the male's bill reflects how well he has fed, and females use it to choose a mate.
• Only the males are entirely black; females are brown.
• It can raise as many as 6 broods a year.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat & environment

Woodland, gardens, parks and towns of Europe, Asia and North Africa

Birth weight

~6 grams at hatching

Size at birth

Blind and featherless on hatching

Sexual maturity

~1 year

Gestation / incubation

12-14 days

Litter / clutch size

3 to 5 eggs per clutch (3 on average), up to 2-6 broods a year

Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animal Diversity Web; Animal Corner; Dimensions.com; Via Pontica; Woodland Trust; Animalia.bio

Best time: All year round; it sings from February to July, at dawn and above all at dusk, from roofs, aerials and high branches.