BLACKBIRD. 129 



Fnmily TURDID^. Genus Merula. 



Sub-family TURDINM. 



BLACKBIRD. 



Merula merula {Liiwcejis). 

 Double Brooded. Breeding season, INIarch to August. 



British breeding area : The Blackbird is another 

 widely distributed species, breeding commonly in most 

 parts of the British Islands, even extending to some of 

 the wildest upland districts, provided with cover in the 

 form of orchards, gardens, and plantations. It breeds on 

 some of the Hebrides and the Orkneys, and even on 

 such barren spots as Ailsa Craig and the Bass. This 

 species has largely extended its range of late years, 

 following the planting of trees and cultivation generally. 



Breeding habits : For the most part the Blackbird 

 is a resident in our islands, but a certain amount of 

 migration takes place in some localities. The Blackbird 

 may be met with breeding almost anywhere, provided 

 some cover is to be found. Its favourite haunts are 

 similar to those of the Song Thrush, and it is most 

 abundant in well-cultivated districts, especially near 

 houses, and in shrubberies, plantations, hedgerows, and 

 orchards. It pairs early in the season, and is not at all 

 social during the nesting period, although numbers of 

 nests may be found within a comparatively small area. 

 The nest is built in a variety of situations, and at 

 different heights, some being on the ground, others but 

 a few feet from it, and less frequently as many as forty 

 feet. It is usually made well in the centre of a thick 

 bush, often an evergreen, a yew, or a holly by preference, 

 in a hedgerow, frequently on the bank, or amongst the 

 roots of an old tree-stump, or in ivy, either on walls or 



