THE BLACKBIRD 



Merula vulgaris 



With the Blackbird we reach the Ouzel division 

 of the Thrushes, comprising upwards of fifty 

 species. Our own Blackbird is one of the best 

 known of British songsters and is widely distributed 

 throughout the country, breeding even in such wild 

 and remote areas as the Hebrides and the Orkneys. 

 Like some other birds we have already treated of, 

 the Blackbird has increased its area considerably 

 during recent years, following the planting of trees 

 and the spread of cultivation. The extra British 

 range of this Ouzel is comparatively restricted, 

 reaching in West Europe up to, or slightly beyond, 

 the Arctic Circle, but in Russia apparently not 

 beyond the valley of the Volga. Further eastwards 

 the range extends to Asia Minor, Palestine and 

 Persia, but beyond these countries, in Turkestan, 

 Afghanistan, and Cashmere, our bird is replaced by 

 a larger form. The range of the common Blackbird 

 extends southwards across the Mediterranean into 



