10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2013

For a birder, a sighting of a Tricolored Blackbird is a treat. Add in habitat loss, and the population of Tricolored Blackbirds has plunged enough to necessitate listing it as a Bird of Conservation Concern on the U.S. All photos by Keiller Kyle, courtesy of Audubon California.

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Blackbirds California Cattle Eggs 202

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2012

You may already know about this, but I was not aware that a pure white Blackbird (the thrush, not the icterid) can be found at Rufford Abbey Country Park in Nottinghamshire, UK. In fact, this leucistic lovely ( check out the pic ) has resided at the park for the last four years. Thanks to reader Sher Buckner for the tip.

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Blackbirds 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2012

I’ve been reading Bernd Heinrich’s Summer World lately and was struck by his description of the song of the Red-winged Blackbird as “oog-la-ee.” What follows is a rundown of a dozen different authors’ take on the song of the Red-winged Blackbird. ” This clearly required more research! .”

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Blackbirds Research Birds 168

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2021

The bird is, of course, none other than the Common Blackbird ( Turdus merula ), the original blackbird of European folklore and nursery rhyme fame, better known to North American birders as the Eurasian Blackbird and unrelated to those “blackbirds” of the family Icteridae found in the New World.

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2019 Blackbirds Portugal Bats 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2011

The national bird of Sweden is the Blackbird Turdus merula , otherwise known as the Common Blackbird or Eurasian Blackbird , though, of course, in Sweden it is not known by any of those names but as Koltrast.* The Blackbird became the Swedish national bird as a result of a newspaper poll in 1962.

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Sweden Malta Costa Rica Blackbirds 208

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2022

There is a saying among birders – not very well known – that if life gives you lemonade, you should take photos of Chinese Blackbird chicks. While occasionally singing, most of the time … … the adult blackbirds are working hard … … because the chicks are always hungry. So that is what I did.

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Blackbirds Soreing Birds 266

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2015

A new paper out this month attempts to paint the most comprehensive picture yet of the origins and diversification of the American sparrows, wood-warblers, blackbirds, cardinals, tanagers, and their kin, an enormous group of birds more than 800 species strong. Burns, John Klicka, Scott M. Lanyon, and Irby J.

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Sparrows North America South America Blackbirds 274

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2013

For those of us in the Americas, nine-primaried oscines are among our most familiar and beloved birds: finches; sparrows, juncos, and towhees; warblers; blackbirds, meadowlarks, and orioles; cardinals and grosbeaks; and tanagers. Icteridae : New World blackbirds, orioles, meadowlarks, etc. Or blackbirds and warblers? I think so.

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Family Blackbirds Groups Sparrows 198

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

We had seen an interesting selection of birds, including Streaked Laughing Thrushes, Grey-winged Blackbirds, Rufous-cheeked Scimitar Babblers and a Scaly-bellied Woodpecker, but nothing unexpected. Some years ago I was birding in the hills outside Ranikhet, in Uttarakhand, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

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Blackbirds Woodpeckers Birds 236

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

As a small child I was fascinated by animals, but it was when a pair of Blackbirds nested close to the house that I really became interested in birds. I wanted to learn more about them, so my parents gave me the five shillings I needed to buy my first bird book: The Observer’s Book of Birds.

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Blackbirds Animal Birds 245

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2020

There were large flocks of Brown-headed Cowbirds and Yellow-headed Blackbirds , with some Red-winged Blackbirds in the mix. Up close, you could see mostly Yellow-headed Blackbirds , but with some Cowbirds mixed in. The best activity was to be found in the reedbeds along the non-tollroad lake crossing. Just part of one flock.

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Rights 2017 2020 Blackbirds 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Ever present Brewer’s Blackbirds and Common Ravens interrupted her mellow park-side life by mobbing her whenever she got too close for comfort. On this occasion, she successfully snatched up a gopher too close to the blackbird nesting colony and got escorted away with the prey still firmly in her grasp.

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Gophers San Francisco Blackbirds Hunting 213

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2012

Another time to consider taking your feeders down for a limited time is if you get a blackbird takeover when their young leave the nest. It seems cruel and for most people the inclination is to keep the feeder up to help the sick, but it prolongs illness and infects more birds. Those sorts of flocks can drain a feeder in no time.

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Blackbirds Baltimore Birds Breeding 252

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

So, to cut things short, there is sickness all around me, and I have thus decided to have my February post whistle to that tune as well and give an update to the mysterious die-off amongst our Eurasian Blackbirds that occurred around my home turf in Heidelberg last summer – blogged about here. Significantly reduced flight distance.

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Germany Blackbirds 2006 Denmark 164

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2011

She ate everything from Rock Pigeons to caterpillars, earthworms to Brewer’s Blackbirds, but her staple diet consisted of plump, toothy, charismatic, and abundant Pocket Gophers. During the meal she was mobbed by several blackbirds and an American Robin. Patch was focused and deliberate, consistent and inventive.

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Gophers Blackbirds Tanzania Hunting 235

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2011

But something happened, and it happened many times: Something has been killing our Blackbirds. We interrupt this blog post for an important message: This is the kind of Blackbird I am talking about, the Eurasian thrush that is Turdus merula, and not the American group of iconic Icterids you might have had in mind.

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Blackbirds Germany Shelters Rodents 154

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2021

He got to some of the hotspots in his home town and enjoyed seeing a variety of fall migrants from wood-warblers to blackbirds. Corey spent his weekend upstate visiting his folks, picking apples, and, of course, looking for birds. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

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Blackbirds Birds Sparrows Wildlife 244

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2013

Worst off were the Red-winged Blackbirds. ” “It’s a Red-winged Blackbird!” Birds rain Red-winged Blackbirds' The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks chose a more sheltered location but that meant they had to fly farther for their meals; they would arrive with slick head-feathers and fill up before retreating again.

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Ponies Blackbirds Ducks Shelters 178

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2021

After a night at the Point Reyes hostel and a long walk to Limantour Beach the next morning, Katherine and I drove into Point Reyes Station for a breakfast of buttermilk blueberry scones at the excellent Bovine Bakery , where the Brewer’s Blackbirds ( Euphagus cyanocephalus ) outside gathered around us and begged for crumbs.

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San Francisco 2020 California Blackbirds 258

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2019

Common Blackbird. Spoiler alert: nothing too exciting for somebody familiar with European birds, but interesting enough for me …. European Robin. Yellowhammer. Common Chaffinch. Eurasian Tree Sparrow. Great Spotted Woodpecker. European Greenfinch. House Sparrow. Eurasian Blue Tit. Eurasian Jay.

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Germany Neglecting Blackbirds Sparrows 239

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2020

I saw my first migratory Eastern Phoebe of 2020 this morning at Cunningham Park in my home borough of Queens, where I was looking for my first Rusty Blackbirds of the year. (I I found them too!) The phoebe was busy flycatching over a vernal pool, often hitting the water as it chased bugs. For me, it is now officially spring!

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10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2013

Among the “First Four” games, the LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds faced the squad from James Madison University. At least one local European Starling decided to cheer on the Blackbirds at University of Dayton Arena in Ohio, flying around the court and even touching down on the hardwood before perching in the rafters. Temple Owls.

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Louisville Bald Eagle Iowa Kansas 174

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2013

The banner blackbird of most of Mesoamerica as well as much of the southwestern United States is the Great-tailed Grackle. The grackle is the ultimate American bird, adaptable, intrepid, and obstreperous. Ten species of these iridescent ebon irritants, most in the genus Quiscalus , are distributed throughout the New World.

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Coyotes United States Blackbirds 2009 243

10,000 Birds

MARCH 28, 2013

I know this not from the gradual appearance of robins, grackles, and blackbirds around me, but rather from the fact that our local schools are about to embark on spring break. (Did you see Pan-Starrs? Clare Kines spotted the charismatic comet above Admiralty Inlet in Nunavut!). Spring is here!

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2013 Blackbirds New York Eggs 215

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2022

Brewer’s Blackbirds are rare treats down here in Michoacán. Still, this Carrion Crow in Munich, Germany, had that Blackbird beat: It came so close to me that it did not fit in the camera’s frame. Black-necked Stilts always have lots of personality, so I couldn’t choose just one photo.

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Blackbirds Germany Sparrows Adoptable 215

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2014

Eurasian Blackbirds living in cities have learned to keep their cool, compared with rural birds. News Bell Miner Birds Eurasian Blackbird kenya Zebra Finches' Female Zebra Finches are one-male birds in the wild, but not so in captivity. Feel free to weigh in, down-under Clare, who also took the shot above!) Planning on birding Kenya?

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San Jose Parrots Kenya Paraguay 160

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2015

An angry Red-winged Blackbird attacked again and again, flashing its bright epaulettes and hitting the heron hard in the middle of its back. The blackbird appeared to be purposefully targeting the heron’s back. It continued to fish, working its way slowly along the bank while the blackbird continued its assault.

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Blackbirds Hunting Raised Fish 163

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2013

Underneath an arched branch, one familiar bird, a Common Blackbird female… but after a recent split in 2005 by Rasmussen and Anderton, it was elevated to a full species – Indian Blackbird ( Turdus simillimus ). Indian) Blackbird Turdus (merula) simillimus. Three Indian Jackals are walking through a sunset.

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Lions India Mammals Boars 246

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2011

A Jamaican Tody on Ecclesdown Road Ecclesdown Road is one of the best sites to see the declining and rare Jamaican Blackbird Crested Quail-doves are most active at dusk and dawn.

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Hunting Jamaica Blackbirds Transported 235

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

Chinese Blackbird s are among the most common birds in the Shanghai compound where I live (and where fortunately this year I am not actually locked in, a contrast to the situation one year ago). It was my impression that they are thriving here, and a very recent (2023) paper confirms that indeed Chinese Blackbirds do well in cities.

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Blackbirds Birds Indonesia Bhutan 232

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2019

In the same low trees, pale lavender colored flowers attracted other species, among them a pair of Melodious Blackbirds that also flicked their tails but in a more pronounced fashion. In typical blackbird fashion, this common garden bird gave occasional, loud, ringing calls. These were. Great Kiskadee. Social Flycatcher.

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Costa Rica Barn Owls Stray Dog Blackbirds 195

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2020

For me, the view of Red-winged Blackbirds puffed up with territorial bravado signals the approach of spring, even if we’re have to endure a few more snowstorms to get there! Some times of year offer more avian excitement than others, and recent signs even as far north as I live suggest we’ve just entered such a period.

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2020 Blackbirds Birds Experience 201

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

A Brewer’s Blackbird on the fence about being on a fence. An Anna’s Hummingbird on the fence about showing the full glory of its gorget, or just giving us a flash with the corner, as any decent hummingbird would do for a stranger just met. This bird looks like it has places to go.

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Agenda Owls Blackbirds Collecting 250

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2014

A few turns around a farm field and the bird was found just hanging with some Brewer’s Blackbirds. According to locals the bird has overwintered near Klamath Falls for the last 5 years…I wonder where it’s breeding?

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Bald Eagle Eagles Oregon Blackbirds 221

10,000 Birds

MARCH 10, 2015

It won’t be long until the first Eastern Phoebe returns, an American Woodcock has already been found in Central Park, and Red-winged Blackbirds have been vigorously calling “Honk-a-ree” for over a week.

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Iowa Nebraska Indiana Michigan 257

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2014

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend came down to a choice between either his first Eastern Meadowlark of the year of his first Rusty Blackbird of the year. The use of the robin as a symbol for spring seems inapt considering how beautiful those rust red breasts appear in the gray of winter. How about you?

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2014 Blackbirds 2013 Birds 190

10,000 Birds

MARCH 10, 2013

On the other hand, at least one Red-winged Blackbird found his voice and sang his passionate song of very early spring. Nature lovers love those magical months between winter and summer, so get your affairs in order… migration is either coming or may have already come!

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2013 Blackbirds Birds Experiments 195