Blackbird
Age
The Eurasian blackbird experiences several developmental stages, beginning with the embryo stage where the developing organism resides within an egg. Following hatching, the young bird enters the nestling stage, characterized by downy plumage and parental feeding, lasting from one week and three days to two weeks and one day. Subsequently, the species transitions into a post-fledging stage, during which the young bird exhibits spotted plumage for a period of one month to one year. The adult stage, marked by reproductive capability, lasts from one to twenty years; the typical lifespan ranges from sixteen years and four months to twenty-seven years and three months, although the maximum recorded lifespan is twenty-one years and ten months. Sexual maturity is reached between one month and two weeks and one year and one month.
Phenotype
Downy feathers cover the body of the young blackbird for warmth. The young species experiences rapid growth, and its plumage is brown with numerous light spots on the chest and back. An adult has a bright orange-yellow beak and a bright yellow ring around the eye. The adult's legs are strong, allowing it to run quickly across the ground while foraging for food. The adult’s plumage is entirely black with a metallic sheen. The species possesses short, rounded wings for quick flight between trees.
Physiology
The Eurasian blackbird measures from 24 to 26 centimeters in body length, with a wingspan of 36 centimeters and a mass ranging from 65.3 to 102 grams; the young have a body length from 5 to 8 centimeters and a mass from 5 to 40 grams, while the young after rapid growth measure from 15 to 22 centimeters in body length and weigh from 50 to 90 grams; adult individuals have a body length from 24 to 26 centimeters and a mass from 80 to 120 grams.
Habitat
Eurasian blackbirds inhabit land and forests, including terrestrial forests, at elevations up to 2.5 kilometers. The species is found in temperate mixed forests with warm summers and many oaks, birches, and maples, as well as flooded meadows where water frequently covers the ground and there is abundant grass, and taiga with cold winters and many coniferous trees such as spruce and pine. The climate is consistently very wet, with rain occurring almost constantly and high humidity; the species also thrives in areas with cool summers and snow in winter, warm summers and plentiful rain, warm summers and mild winters, and comfortable summers between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.
Shelter
Eurasian blackbirds inhabit bushes, trees, or niches in buildings. The species constructs or uses a nest as a shelter. The nest’s structure is built for laying eggs and raising young. Nesting materials include twigs, grass, and mud.
Geography
The Eurasian blackbird is found within the Palearctic biogeographical region and occupies several distinct ecosystems, including Celtic broadleaf forests, broadleaf forests of Western Europe, coniferous forests of the Qilian Mountains, Balkan mixed forests, Baltic mixed forests, and coniferous and mixed forests of the Pyrenees.
Feeding
The Eurasian blackbird’s diet consists of earthworms, insects, spiders, and other small animals; it also eats berries and fruits in autumn and winter. The species forages on the ground using its beak to find food, employing an active hunting strategy to search for and obtain nourishment. Its food includes earthworms, insects, berries, fruits, and fruit. The daily food requirement ranges from 30 grams to 60 grams. The species preys on net-winged insects, beetles, butterflies, diptera (two-winged insects), hymenoptera (membrane-winged insects), bedbugs, orthopterans (straight-winged insects), dragonflies, stoneflies, ribbon worms, and decapods (ten-footed crustaceans). The Eurasian blackbird is hunted by the ferret.
Reproduction
The Eurasian blackbird’s embryonic development lasts 1 week and 5 days, and the female builds a nest and lays 3 to 5 bluish eggs with spots. She incubates these eggs, while both parents feed the young; a brood consists of 3 to 5 offspring. The species reaches maturity from 10 months to 1 year and 1 month. The female has 3 to 5 broods. The interval between breeding seasons is from 1 month to 1 month and 2 weeks.