Blackbirds enchant with their melodious singing. This territorial song is performed by males between March and the end of July, i.e. at the time when the songbirds breed. Here you will find all information about the breeding period of blackbirds.
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Amsel (Turdus merula)
The blackbird, also known as the blackbird, is the most widespread songbird in Europe. Their breeding range extends across the continent without any major distribution gaps, with the exception of the far north and the extreme south-east. Originally, the forest was the habitat of birds. In the 19th century they conquered parks, gardens and city centers.
About 25 percent of the Central European blackbirds migrate to southern Europe in winter. The proportion of migrating females is significantly larger than that of males. Ornithologists see the reason for the increasing sedentary behavior of male blackbirds in an extended reproductive period, which occurs primarily in urban blackbirds:
- The best breeding grounds are already occupied in November
- Onset of reproductive readiness up to four weeks earlier than in woodbirds
Breeding duration
In ornithology, the time between the start of incubation and the hatching of the chicks is called the incubation period or breeding season. The breeding seasons of blackbirds are
- between 10 and 19 days
- on average at 13 days
As a rule, (city) blackbirds breed two to three times between February and July / August . Incubation itself is triggered in the female blackbird after laying the third egg. This ensures that with a clutch size of four to five eggs, all blackbird chicks hatch within two days at the end of the incubation period.
During the breeding season, the female only leaves the nest to feed . If the female blackbird is “out of the house”, the male sits on or in the nest to guard the clutch. This often gives the impression that the male blackbird is also involved in breeding.
