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The species of December 2014

Name: Blackbird
Scientific name: Turdus merula – Linnaeus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeniformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus

2014.12_Turdus Merula (female)

2014.12_Turdus merula

Description
The male is black with the exception of the eye ring and the beak which are yellow. The female has a dark brown color on the upper part (wings, back, head, tail) and light brown on the lower part with dark spots on the chest. The beak is dark with a very light yellow color. They also have different vocals, while the young birds look like females.

Habitat
It is common in forests, shrubs, gardens and residential areas.

Food
It feeds on insects, worms, snails and fruit trees and shrubs (eg berries).

Spreading
For Cyprus it is a common winter visitor. They arrive in October and leave in February to March. Some couples stay in Cyprus to spend the winter and reproduce. Nests have been identified in Troodos.

It is found throughout Europe, the Middle and Far East as far as India and China, and is also found in North Africa and Australia but is absent from the Americas.

Reproduction
In its nest, which is made of grass and leaves mixed with mud and placed on trees or shrubs, it lays 3-5 eggs with dark brown spots and which only the female threads for 13-14 days. The chicks leave the nest in about 15 days. They give birth once or twice a year from April to June.

Sources:
[1] Βιβλίο «Τα πουλιά που φωλιάζουν στην Κύπρο» -Συγκρότημα Τράπεζας Κύπρου

[2] Πτηνολογικός Σύνδεσμος Κύπρου – Λευκωσία 1997
[3] Βιβλίο «Τα πουλιά της Κύπρου» – Λουκά Χριστοφόρου
[4] http://el.wikipedia.org

Image source:
http://el.wikipedia.org

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