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Quiz about Blackbird Chain
Quiz about Blackbird Chain

Blackbird Chain Trivia Quiz


Turdus merula is also called the Eurasian blackbird, to distinguish it from several North American bird species also called blackbirds. These ten questions link to make a blackbird chain.

A photo quiz by looney_tunes. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
looney_tunes
Time
5 mins
Type
Photo Quiz
Quiz #
373,577
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
377
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 68 (4/10), Karenlc (10/10), Mookie325 (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. For the first link in our chain, we should determine the family of birds to which the Eurasian blackbird belongs. What is the common name for members of the genus Turdus? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. As the second link in our blackbird chain, we need to locate a blackbird. In which of these countries will you NOT find a Eurasian blackbird living in the wild? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The next link in our blackbird chain requires us to locate one, having reached a country where they are found in the wild. Are we more likely to spot one in a rural area or an urban one? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Once we have settled on an area where we are likely to spot a blackbird, the next link in our chain will be to actually spot one. What habitat is most likely to be the favorite haunt of a blackbird? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Our next link will be to lure a blackbird close enough for a photograph. We might tempt it with some food. Which of these is NOT likely to tempt a blackbird? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The next link in our blackbird chain is deciding whether we are trying to attract a male or a female blackbird. As is often the case for birds, the female blackbird's coloring is quite different from that of the male. What is the name given to this difference? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. We have a male blackbird in view, and he wants to link up with a female. His first step is establishing the territory in which he plans to woo a female. How does he go about this? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The blackbird chain from one generation to the next requires a nest in which to hatch the eggs. In which of these places is a blackbird nest most likely to be found? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The baby blackbirds form the first link in the next generation of our blackbird chain. They spend around two weeks in the nest, completely dependent on their parents for food and protection. Which parent takes the dominant role in these tasks? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The link in our blackbird chain between one generation and the next is complete when the young ones leave the nest and start living independent lives. What is the term used to describe a bird which has just emerged into independence? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Sep 19 2024 : Guest 68: 4/10
Sep 11 2024 : Karenlc: 10/10
Sep 06 2024 : Mookie325: 8/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. For the first link in our chain, we should determine the family of birds to which the Eurasian blackbird belongs. What is the common name for members of the genus Turdus?

Answer: Thrush

The genus Turdus includes a number of other familiar birds, including the North American robin (which is not related to the similar-looking European robin, a member of the flycatcher family). Members of the genus Turdus are also called true thrushes, as opposed to some other members of the family Turdidae. Most thrushes are relatively small, plump-bodied, and grey or brownish in color. The male Eurasian blackbird is distinguished by its bright yellow beak, and a yellow ring around its eyes.

Since there are a lot of black birds in Europe, I often wondered why this particular bird was given the name of blackbird. The answer lies in the system of naming different kinds of bird by different terms as English was developing in earlier times. The larger black birds (such as crows, rooks and ravens) were referred to as fowl; only smaller birds were called birds. When Turdus merula was given its name, in the 15th century, it was the most common small black bird, hence the appellation.
2. As the second link in our blackbird chain, we need to locate a blackbird. In which of these countries will you NOT find a Eurasian blackbird living in the wild?

Answer: Japan

The birds originally occurred across large parts of Europe and Asia, and northern Africa. In 1857, a bird dealer released some blackbirds near Melbourne, Australia. They found the countryside to their liking, and soon spread over most of southern Australia, including Tasmania.

They are often considered a pest, because they damage fruits being grown for commercial purposes. They also are thought to spread blackberries (and other weeds) because they eat the fruit and disperse the seeds as they travel widely.
3. The next link in our blackbird chain requires us to locate one, having reached a country where they are found in the wild. Are we more likely to spot one in a rural area or an urban one?

Answer: They are commonly found in both rural and urban environments

Although handbooks describe the favorite environment of the blackbird as sounding rural, they are happy to adapt to urban and (especially) suburban settings. They are often seen in small urban and larger suburban gardens during the appropriate season. City parks are also a good place to see, and hear, them. Orchardists will tell you how common they are around the fruit trees! In Australia, they originally proliferated in the settled areas where large numbers of European trees had been imported, but have now adapted to the food sources in the Australian bush.
4. Once we have settled on an area where we are likely to spot a blackbird, the next link in our chain will be to actually spot one. What habitat is most likely to be the favorite haunt of a blackbird?

Answer: An area with deciduous trees and thick undergrowth

Blackbirds like trees for perching overnight, away from the predators that roam the ground, and appreciate the presence of undergrowth to protect them as they forage for food during the day. Despite their reputation (at least, in Australia) as fruit-eaters, they are primarily groundfeeders, searching for food during the day and returning to their nest for the night. Deciduous trees usually produce fertile leaf litter, in which the blackbirds may find tempting treats.

Blackbirds tend to be a shy species, spending much of their time close to cover either foraging in leaf litter, mulch or grass or in shrubbery. Movement across the ground is by jerky hops often followed by wing and tail flicks.
5. Our next link will be to lure a blackbird close enough for a photograph. We might tempt it with some food. Which of these is NOT likely to tempt a blackbird?

Answer: A juicy garter snake

Even a small snake is too large to tempt a blackbird, as an adult is usually only about 25 cm long, including its tail. Blackbirds are omnivores, feasting on fruit and seeds when they are readily available. The blackbird scratches around in the leaf litter or grass, looking for insects, snails, spiders and small reptiles. It pulls earthworms out of the ground - you've seen the pictures of the early bird catching the worm - having located them by hearing their underground movements.

Blackbird populations are generally stable, but in some regions they have been decreasing, probably due to local farming practices. Removal of hedgerows takes away the shrubs in which they like to nest, and use of pesticides can reduce the supply of invertebrates available for them to eat.
6. The next link in our blackbird chain is deciding whether we are trying to attract a male or a female blackbird. As is often the case for birds, the female blackbird's coloring is quite different from that of the male. What is the name given to this difference?

Answer: Sexual dichromatism

The more general term sexual dimorphism is used to mean that the male and female members of a species have some significant differences in appearance - the peacock's tail is an example of this. Sexual dichromatism refers specifically to the males and females having different coloration.

The adult male blackbird has black feathers, a ring of yellow around its eye, and a bright yellow bill. The adult female is more of a brown color both in feathers and bill, with no ring around the eye, but sporting a white or light brown throat, and often some mixed shades of brown on the breast.

The young of both genders are like the female, but with some spots on their feathers.
7. We have a male blackbird in view, and he wants to link up with a female. His first step is establishing the territory in which he plans to woo a female. How does he go about this?

Answer: Singing from the branches of his chosen tree

The male sings to let other males know that it is his territory, and he wants them to stay away. It isn't actually terribly successful if there are a number of other birds in the vicinity, and they are likely to enter the claimed territory at dusk to find a nice spot in which to sleep. Humans enjoy listening to the attempt, nevertheless. Blackbirds have a number of vocalisations for different situations, including both aggressive sounds and alarm calls.

The male's courtship ritual, when he has located a desirable female, involves running towards her on a diagonal, while bobbing its head and making soft noises. If she decides to accept his overture, she indicates it by raising her tail receptively. Blackbirds usually mate for life, so this link-up leads to a lifelong chain.
8. The blackbird chain from one generation to the next requires a nest in which to hatch the eggs. In which of these places is a blackbird nest most likely to be found?

Answer: In the branches of a bush or tree

Blackbirds like to place their nests in leafy spots, so they have some camouflage available. They will use bushes as little as one metre off the ground if they cannot locate a higher tree to use. (In suburban gardens, the eaves of a shed may be used as a substitute nesting site.) Unfortunately, low nests are often predated on, and the mating pair has to start over again. Pairs have been known to up to five times in a breeding season - you've got to give them credit for persistence. A nest which has experienced so much difficulty, however, is not likely to be used again the next year.

A blackbird's nest is made of grass, leaves, twigs and bark strips held together by mud, which provides the lining of the nest. The one in the picture for this question had a less obvious mud lining than is usually the case. A clutch usually consists of around four eggs, which are a pale green-blue color with reddish-brown spots. The female sits on the eggs, which take about two weeks to hatch.
9. The baby blackbirds form the first link in the next generation of our blackbird chain. They spend around two weeks in the nest, completely dependent on their parents for food and protection. Which parent takes the dominant role in these tasks?

Answer: Both parents share the tasks equally

The newly-hatched young need total care for about two weeks, at which time they are ready to start exploring the world around them, and start to fend for themselves. The parents continue to feed them (and the young ones can be quite insistent on this!), but also learn how to find food for themselves as they follow their parents around.

The female may start another brood at this time, in which case the male takes over responsibilities for the young of the first batch. This phase of juvenile development usually lasts about three weeks.

In the warmer areas of the blackbird's range, a pair will often raise three broods in a season; in colder regions two is more likely.
10. The link in our blackbird chain between one generation and the next is complete when the young ones leave the nest and start living independent lives. What is the term used to describe a bird which has just emerged into independence?

Answer: Fledgling

While the term chick might be used generically for a young bird at all stages of its development, it does not refer to this specific stage. They start as hatchlings, and then are termed nestlings once they are fully hatched. A fledgling is just starting to explore on its own and develop the skills needed for adulthood. When they are no longer dependent on their parents in any way, they are said to be fledged. The fledgling has enough feathers and wing strength for flight, but still has a lot of development ahead. They develop adult coloration over about a year, with the change being more noticeable for males, since females and juveniles have somewhat similar colorations.

Fledglings are especially vulnerable to predation, with the domestic cat being very fond of them. In more rural areas, foxes and predatory birds pose significant dangers. It's a good thing that mating pairs regularly produce two clutches of four or five chicks each year - enough will survive to maintain the population. Blackbirds that survive past the fledgling stage have an average life expectancy of about two to three years, giving them a couple of breeding seasons to forge the next links in the blackbird chain.
Source: Author looney_tunes

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