turdus (thrush) merula (blackbird)
Thursday, April 18, 2019 — 11:28 am
Stuttgart, Germany – Birkenkopf (Rubble Hill)
This bird is closely related to the American Robin and acts and looks similar to it in every way except color. The Blackbird is glossy black all over with a yellow eye ring and yellow bill.
The first one I saw was on the ground under bushes on the trail up Rubble Hill, but throughout the week I saw many more on lawns in towns and in woods. Although I’d never heard its song before, when I heard one singing I knew it was a thrush immediately. The bird in the photo above was foraging in the Old Cemetery in Boblingen. It’s mate was nearby. The female was much duller, a dirty brown/gray with streaks on its throat and chest and a dark bill.