Blackbird question...

[Lindsay-c]

Not too familiar with how blackbirds work and I've been wondering... for 3-4 years (maybe even longer) there have always been a male and female blackbird that visit my garden and one year a couple had nested in my hedge... now recently a couple have been visiting my garden and the female has a white patch on her breast (leucism I had assumed) and so I always recognise her. Anyway I was wondering if it's possible that the blackbird couples I've seen over the years are the same ones?

I know that a lot of species of birds visit the same nesting place - we used to have a couple of woodpigeons return each year to the nest in our little tree... (however this year the leaves hadn't grown back very much and the magpies were stealing parts of it so they tried building above the automatic light next door but next time i checked they had gone elsewhere )

But would blackbird hang around in the same area all the time? and do they tend to mate for life?


Thanks
- Lindsay

[kangarooz]

Well not can't really answer your question but I am certain we also had the same blackbirds come to our garden, they treated out garden like a nursery and every year once chicks had flown nest, but still to young to be left alone, the parents would send them to hid under a bush all day until they were ready to fully be free.

[Littlesparrow]

Interesting question. We use to have a very bold blackbird who would come and drink out of the dogs water bowl, he seemed to disappear earlier in the year so I think he must have died. However now we get visited by four or five blackbirds at once and I assumed they were related as they seem to tolerate each other well with no fighting over the bird food.

[faz]

Black birds are monogamous and most pairs will stay together for as long as they both survive if one bird dies the remain partner will find a new mate on average life span for wild black birds 2 -3 years

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by faz

Black birds are monogamous and most pairs will stay together for as long as they both survive if one bird dies the remain partner will find a new mate on average life span for wild black birds 2 -3 years

Well, monogamous is not quite the right word ... they do seem to pop over the garden hedge for a bit of nookey with the birds of the adjoining territories, when their partners are looking the other way.

And some UK blackbirds do have a breeding territory but migrate to a winter territory, which may be also in the UK. Others seem to stay put.

I had a colour ringed blackbird (female) in my garden. She had moved around a bit, presumably when one partner died or got ousted from a territory, she moved to find another partner. The females do seem to fight each other for a territory and mate. I don't think the male gets to make the choice, but ends up with the most fit female who wants him and his territory.

[mham73]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

She had moved around a bit, presumably when one partner died or got ousted from a territory, she moved to find another partner. The females do seem to fight each other for a territory and mate. I don't think the male gets to make the choice, but ends up with the most fit female who wants him and his territory.

Blackbird WAGS???

[nigel_b]

Its a great question and one someone asked me just a couple of weeks back. I didn't know the answer incidentally.

The reason for their question was that we had a white blackbird locally and we were wondering whether it might be back next year. We'll certainly know its the same one!

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by nigel_b

Its a great question and one someone asked me just a couple of weeks back. I didn't know the answer incidentally.

The reason for their question was that we had a white blackbird locally and we were wondering whether it might be back next year. We'll certainly know its the same one!

It's certainly possible it may return. Some individuals winter in different areas to their breeding haunts, so it may come back. Being white it's probably more prone to predation (unless there's a lot of snow around!). Most songbirds in the wild rarely live beyond a couple of years, though some lucky individuals may last for 10 or more years.

[Lindsay-c]

Thanks for the interesting and helpful replies...

I've concluded these blackbirds may well be the same ones...
Maybe not the same ones from a longer time ago since their lifespan is fairly short (thanks for that information Faz)

Also thanks to aeshna5 for more information of the lifespans of birds I wish bird books would contain this information but I suppose it is difficult to obtain it for each bird especially since there are many contributing factors which shorten life span particularly in the wild...

And thanks nigel_b for the interesting "whitebird" (ha) pictures