The male bird is evenly grey with a coal-black top of the head; the female bird is more brownish-grey and with a reddish-brown top of the head. It is hard to notice blackcaps in the foliage, which is why they are more often recognised on the basis of their song. They prefer to live in thick broad-leaved forests with lush vegetation, but can also live in mixed spruce forests, city parks, etc. The nest is very strong and tight and can sometimes hang from the branches like a hammock. They feed on insects. In the second half of summer, they also eat berries, which they swallow whole. Interestingly, poisonous berries do not harm these birds.