156779 Blackbird - Turdus merula - Female. L 25-28cm. Familiar ground-dwelling bird. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has uniformly blackish plumage. Legs are dark but bill and eyering are yellow. 1st winter male is similar but bill is dark and eyering is dull. Adult and 1st winter female are brown, darkest on wings and tail, and palest on throat and streaked breast. Juvenile is similar to adult female but marked with pale spots. Voice Utters harsh and repeated tchak alarm call, often at dusk. Male has rich, fluty and varied song. Status Common and widespread in gardens, but in woodland, farmland and coasts. Upland birds move to lower levels in winter and migrants arrive from Europe.
