Turdus merula
The Common Blackbird is a regular and highly visible inhabitant of gardens. Males sing during early spring mornings. Their flight and alarm calls are easily detected. They feed either on open lawn or among leaf litter, eating mainly worms and other invertebrates in the soil, and soft fruit. Canberra gardens with dense shrubbery or hedges will generally accommodate at least one pair of breeding birds. They are secretive in their nesting habits, concealing their nests in thick shrubs, vines or trees. They also dart swiftly to and from their nest to try to conceal it from predators. However, Pied Currawongs discover many nests during the breeding season, but blackbirds will readily nest again.
From July till December numbers rise steadily then fall in January to early March. The population increased over the first ten years of records, but has been declining slowly since.
Breeding records consist of activity at nest from mid-August to late January and dependent young from mid-September to late February. R=11. BR=5.
