- Scientific name: Turdus merula
- Group: Garden Birds
This printable Common Blackbird coloring page is inspired by the bird’s rounded body, long tail, slender bill, and familiar thrush shape. The clean outlines make the illustration suitable for colored pencils, crayons, markers, or paint.
You can color an adult male with glossy black plumage and a bright yellow-orange bill, or choose the softer brown tones of a female or young bird. The simple shape also makes this a good species for practicing subtle feather shading.
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Color guide
- Adult male:
- Body: glossy black
- Bill: yellow to orange-yellow
- Eye-ring: yellow
- Eyes: dark brown or black
- Legs and feet: dark brown or gray
- Adult female:
- Body: dark brown
- Breast: slightly paler brown with faint mottling
- Throat: lighter brown
- Bill: brown or dull yellow-brown
- Eyes: dark brown
- Legs and feet: brown-gray
Young birds are usually brown with more obvious pale spotting and streaking on the breast.
How to recognize a Common Blackbird
The Common Blackbird is a medium-sized thrush with a rounded body, fairly long tail, and straight pointed bill. Adult males are very distinctive, with almost entirely black plumage, a yellow-orange bill, and a bright yellow eye-ring.
Females are dark brown rather than black and usually have a paler, slightly mottled throat and breast. Young birds are also brown and show more spotting, which can make them look similar to other thrushes.
Blackbirds often move on the ground with quick hops, then stop and tilt their heads while listening for worms and other prey. Their rich, fluting song is one of the most familiar sounds of gardens and parks.
Where it lives
Common Blackbirds are widespread across Europe and parts of western Asia and North Africa. They live in woodland, hedgerows, farmland, parks, gardens, cemeteries, and urban areas.
They are especially common in places with a mixture of trees, shrubs, lawns, and open ground. Dense bushes provide nesting cover, while short grass and bare soil offer good feeding areas.
Many populations remain in the same region throughout the year, while others migrate or make shorter seasonal movements.
What it eats
Common Blackbirds eat earthworms, insects, spiders, snails, and other small invertebrates. They often search for food on lawns, leaf litter, and soft ground.
They also eat berries and fruit, especially in autumn and winter. Elderberries, rowan berries, apples, and other soft fruits can become important when insects are less available.
Their diet changes with the seasons, which helps them live successfully in both wild and urban environments.
Interesting facts
- The Common Blackbird belongs to the thrush family.
- Adult males are black, but females and young birds are brown, so the species can look very different depending on age and sex.
- Blackbirds are famous for their melodic song, which is often delivered from rooftops, trees, or other high perches.
- They frequently forage by pulling earthworms from the soil.
- Common Blackbirds have adapted extremely well to towns and cities and are now among the most familiar garden birds in Europe.
- They often raise more than one brood in a breeding season when conditions are favorable.