Blackbird Chain Trivia Quiz

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.