ID problems: young Blackbird
By Charlie • August 24, 2009 • 8 commentsA couple of days ago a photograph (reproduced below) was sent into the “Clinic” for identification. It was taken in the UK and showed an odd-looking, mottled thrush-like bird but was clearly not something that the photographer was used to seeing. Co-incidentally, but understandably when you realise what the species is, I had an almost identical looking bird in my own garden at what must have been almost the exact time - but several hundred miles away.
Why would that be? Because what the photograph shows is in fact a Blackbird Turdus merula, one of the UK’s commonest garden birds. Having said that though it really doesn’t look like most people’s idea of what a Blackbird should look like - a black thrush with a yellow bill - and that’s because it’s a juvenile in moult. And right now all over the northern hemisphere there are juvenile birds in gardens, in forests, on lakes and reservoirs, that don’t look ‘quite right’ and are throwing people into confusion.
Here’s four photos of the bird I have in my garden at the moment: similar to the bird above but definitely not a black thrush with a yellow bill…so very tricky to identify?
Well, not really. Look again at the photos above. Whilst the plumage is not perhaps ‘quite right’ for what many birders would expect for a Blackbird what we have is a fairly large thrush hopping around on a lawn that has the exact same structure and behaviour of the Blackbirds we’re more used to seeing. The same length bill, the same length legs and tail, the same proportions - the same bird just wearing sightly different clothes as it were!
We’ve talked about this on 10,000 Birds before - just this last breeding-season Corey’s written a detailed post on identifying young Brown-headed Cowbirds and I’ve looked at juvenile Robins already - but the message is undoubtedly worth repeating: if you see a strange bird in your garden at this time of the year that you can’t identify, concentrate less on what colour the bird is but on what it’s structure is and what it’s doing. Plumage changes with age, but once a bird has left the nest it’s structure, shape, and behaviour doesn’t.
Oh, and remember it’s an unfortunate truth for us birders, but most people will never, ever, EVER find a genuine rarity in their back garden…
The ones I love at the moment are the juvenile bullfinches: they look like nothing in any field guide!
Not convinced- blackbirds breading in my garden for over 20yrs 3 clutches this year. The birds above are the same that were in my garden this weekend a flock of 12 spent thursday to sunday feeding and resting. They are bigger like a mistle thrush. if you are saying they are blackbirds but a different bread within the bread I accept that but they are not my blackbirds that live in my garden weekin week out and that goes for the young.
Andy: Now THOSE I’d like to photograph!
Jan: I’m not sure what it is you’re saying here - sorry. The birds in these photos are Blackbirds though, I promise you that. Perhaps you had something else visit you - a flock of twelve Blackbirds sounds unusual…
Here in new Zealand I see a lot of blackbirds with white in them. I remember seeing one in Shropshire once but theye were a rarity back in England. I guess it has something to do with the limited genetic stock from a small founder population.
Interesting to hear about the NZ birds, Duncan. Where exactly are you?
The most blackbirds I’ve seen together is about five and I suspect they were a family group. Would greater numbers be possible on migration? But it’s still a little early for that. As for the size, some adult birds do overfeed their chicks before they leave the nest as a sort of insurance. That plus loose, fluffy juvenile plumage may make them look bigger.
The birds I seen was just like the ones in the photo. I thought at first they where blackbirds but their legs are longer and they are bigger than our garden blackbird. My husband also seen them so I’m not going crazy,and the fact that there was so many of them. Anyway I was glad they felt safe and happy and fed well in my garden. I must point out I live in a suburb of a city not in the country side.
I’m based in Wellington. The most Blackbirds Ive seen here is around five or six in a flock with some Song Thrushes. I’ve been seeing this recently in a sports field adjoining Victoria University. The cool thing is that a Sacred Kingfisher is always there watching the flock, and when a thrush or blackbird finds a worm it chases them off and eats the worm they found!
So, the alien species do have some usefulness for the natives.
I was in Auckland in March, but didn’t notice anything odd about the blackbirds. Perhaps I should have looked more closely. It always seems to me that house sparrows are slightly different wherever I go in the world. Again, probably that genetic thing.