# Common blackbird (*Turdus merula*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-blackbird  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a bird in the family Turdidae and the order Passeriformes, part of the songbirds and other perching birds. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 102.7 g and a wingspan of 36 cm. The common blackbird is an omnivore and a generalist forager of forest habitat, and it is sedentary.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 97.5 g – 102.7 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 36 cm |
| Lifespan | 21.1 years – 21.8 years |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Main food | fruits |
| Habitat | forest |
| Egg incubation | 13.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 4 |
| Lifestyle | Generalist |
| Migration | Sedentary |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Passeriformes
- family: Turdidae
- genus: Turdus
- species: *Turdus merula* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Merula alticeps*, *Merula carniolica*, *Merula major*, *Merula merula*, *Merula pinetorum*, *Merula truncorum*, *Sylvia merula*, *Turdus wulsini*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the common blackbird?

The common blackbird is a bird in the family Turdidae, order Passeriformes. It belongs to the songbirds and other perching birds.

### How heavy is the common blackbird?

The common blackbird has an adult body mass of 102.7 g, and its wingspan is 36 cm.

### What does the common blackbird eat?

The common blackbird is an omnivore.

### Is the common blackbird endangered?

No. The common blackbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the common blackbird live?

The common blackbird has a lifespan of 21.1 years, and the highest value reported by our sources is 21.8 years.

### How many eggs does the common blackbird lay?

The common blackbird lays 4 eggs per clutch and has 4 clutches per year. The eggs are incubated for 13.5 days.

### Who named the common blackbird?

The common blackbird, Turdus merula, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

### Does the common blackbird migrate?

No. The common blackbird is sedentary.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Common blackbird (Turdus merula). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-blackbird