Help with id please

[clairedude]

Hello
Please could you identify this bird, Is it just a juvenile blackbird? Its about the same size as a blackbird? I have a pair of them coming into the garden, their chest has a orange speckle colour to it?
thank you
claire

[aeshna5]

It is a female Blackbird- they can show variable amounts of russet on the throat/breast.

[Deb London]

Yes that's what it is.

Does anyone know what a 'continental blackbird' looks like? I was reading actionfinch's College Lake thread and I didn't know there was such a thing.

[clairedude]

thanks for your help

[Richard Baber]

Originally Posted by Deb London

Yes that's what it is.

Does anyone know what a 'continental blackbird' looks like? I was reading actionfinch's College Lake thread and I didn't know there was such a thing.

Looks like there's some debate as to whether you can or cannot distinguish a blackbird that's flown in from abroad from a resident bird. Useful thread here:
Blackbird with black beak

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by Deb London

Yes that's what it is.

Does anyone know what a 'continental blackbird' looks like? I was reading actionfinch's College Lake thread and I didn't know there was such a thing.

Not sure what Actionfinch was referring to but our resident population of Blackbirds are boosted by migrant winter birds from Russia and Poland which are the same ssp (ie Turdus merula merula) as our resident ones so not identifiable from resident birds. They do moult a bit later into breeding plumage than our resident ones, so any adults seen early Spring with darker bills and darker eyerings are possible migrants (which will develop the yellow eye ring and bills once they return to their breeding sites) but again, no way to be sure they aren't just 1w resident birds developing bills/eyerings late (health, diet and weather can all precipitate advanced or delayed moult in individual birds).

At this time of year however, (Autumn/mid winter) any dark-billed Blackbirds are 1st winter/imm individuals from either populations - a 1st winter male will show a varying amount of juvenile feathers retained identified with brown feathers on the wing.

Conversely we may possibly get a few southern European vagrants in the UK which have a much brighter orange eyering and brighter bill than our resident or scandi/russian 1st winters/adults (but will still show the brown wing feathers in 1sr winter plumage) Galleriet - Netfugl.dk

[actionfinch]

HI everyone , im sure i read in another thread sometime ago that someone had seen a blackbird with a black beak, and like you have stated that it was a 1st winter bird, but im pretty sure someone then turned round and mentioned a winter visitor.In my collins book they have no record of such bird.ill try and find the thread...

found it ,
'Blackbird with black beak' started by FUDGEY on 28-11-2010 06:52 PM
thats the thread , i might have missed read it , looking back on it..