The blackbird (Turdus merula) has become a common bird species found in yard areas. It is among the most eye-catching and loudest urban birds. The blackbird’s song is a very beautiful, calm and low-pitched fluted warble. It has a chatty tempo interrupted by pauses, and the verse ends on a creaking chirp. Its warning calls are often piercing crows and long-lasting, pressing chink-chink-chink sounds.
The blackbird has one of the longest singing seasons among Finnish birds. If the weather is mild, blackbirds can start singing during the winter months and continue to do so until August. The blackbird can nest up to three times a year. The first chicks fly the nest in May, while the last ones take off in late August. Blackbirds can nest in a variety of different locations, such as on the ground, on log piles or among the branches of thick spruces.
Photo Jussi Helimäki.