Birds
Blackbird
Turdus merula and Icteridae · also called blackbirds
A blackbird is not one bird but two, unrelated birds that just happen to share a name and a colour. In Europe it is a thrush, singing rich, fluting phrases from rooftops at dusk. In America it is something else entirely, a glossy Icterid flashing a red shoulder patch over a marsh. European settlers simply reused a familiar word for a new, unrelated bird, the same trick they played with the robin.
Overview
The European blackbird, Turdus merula, is a common garden thrush, closely related to the robin and song thrush, found across Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia. The American blackbirds — the red-winged, Brewer’s, and rusty blackbirds among them — belong instead to the Icteridae, the New World family that also contains orioles and meadowlarks. The two groups share a name and, in the males, a black colour, but nothing else.
One name, two birds
Only the males are solidly black in both groups; females and young are streaked brown. The European blackbird is prized for its rich, mellow song; the male red-winged blackbird instead flashes a bold red-and-yellow shoulder patch, revealed or hidden at will during territorial display. American icterid blackbirds also form some of the largest bird roosts on Earth, sometimes numbering in the millions.
Status
Least Concern overall — the European blackbird thrives in cities and gardens across its huge range. The rusty blackbird of North America is the exception, having fallen an estimated 85–95% since the mid-20th century for reasons still not fully understood.
Blackbird: common questions
Is the blackbird related to the robin?
It depends which blackbird. The European common blackbird is a true thrush and is closely related to the American robin, the song thrush, and other members of the family Turdidae, sharing the same general body plan, feeding habits, and spotted juvenile plumage typical of thrushes. The American blackbirds, such as the red-winged blackbird, are not thrushes at all and belong to the unrelated family Icteridae, so they are not close relatives of the robin, despite living on the same continent and being lumped under the same everyday name.
Why do European and American blackbirds have the same name if they are unrelated?
The pattern traces back to European settlers naming the wildlife of a new continent after animals they already knew from home, based on a passing resemblance rather than actual relationship. A dark American bird gathering in flocks over farmland looked enough like the familiar European blackbird, a common garden thrush, that colonists simply reused the name, even though the American birds belong to a completely different family, the Icteridae. The same thing happened with the American robin, which was named for a red-breasted European bird it only superficially resembles.
Why does the male red-winged blackbird have red shoulders?
The bright red-and-yellow patch, called an epaulette, is a visual signal used mainly in territorial and courtship display rather than for camouflage or any practical function like flight. A male can control how much of the patch is visible, flaring it fully while displaying and calling to advertise ownership of a territory or challenge a rival, and largely concealing it while foraging quietly or trying to avoid a confrontation, which lets the same feature work as both a bold threat display and a way to reduce unwanted attention when needed.
Why are only male blackbirds actually black?
In both the European thrush and many American icterid blackbirds, natural and sexual selection have favoured solid black plumage in males mainly for visual display and mate attraction, since sleek, glossy black stands out well and signals health and vigour, while females of both groups tend to keep duller, more camouflaged brown or streaked plumage that helps conceal them while incubating eggs and tending young on or near the ground or in low vegetation, where a bold black bird would be far more conspicuous to a predator.