From Fledgling To Adult - How Blackbird Plumage Changes In The First Year
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How male and female Common Blackbird plumage changes during their first year.
The video starts with a young Blackbird that is just a few weeks old. It left the nest 2 weeks after hatching and was fed by its parents for a further 2 or 3 weeks.
From July onwards, young Blackbirds start to moult replacing their original feathers with new ones. The first moult takes a month or more to complete.
Adult male Blackbirds have black plumage and the juvenile male in the video has many of its 'adult' feathers. However, its wing feathers will remain brown until next year's moult. With their all brown plumage, juvenile females look very similar to adult females when the moult is over.
In December, we see a young Blackbird with brown wing feathers and no yellow-orange beak meaning it's in its first winter. Male Blackbirds get their yellow-orange bill and eye ring before or during their first breeding season.
In May, a male Blackbird, around a year old, is busy finding food for its own chicks. Both parents are feeding the young. The male has now got the yellow-orange bill and eye ring of an adult but still has the brown wing feathers. These will be replaced by black feathers when the bird moults again in late summer.
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Пікірлер: 24
Thank you! Been watching blackbirds of various colours hopping around the garden and wondered who they all were, so this really helps to figure out who's who.
Excellent video as usual . I learnt a lot. Many thanks
@MyBirdingYear
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Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for your support.
Really cute video! I love blackbirds, one of my favourites to see and film. They’re so bouncy and alert!
@Keapix
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They have such character! Our pair have names.
@MyBirdwatchingWorld
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@@Keapix They do! I nickname them ‘hoppies’ because of just how much they hop about. Other thrushes do it too but I’ve personally noticed blackbirds seem to do it a lot more.
Beautiful film. Thank you for documenting the changes the blackbird undergoes with the passage of time. I did not know about these subtle differences.
@MyBirdingYear
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Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for watching.
Wat een prachtige film. Ik vind de merel een mooie vogel en heb hem graag in mijn tuin. Elk jaar komen ze hier een nestje maken en krijgen ze in de broedperiode meelwormen . Fijne dag en groetjes uit Holland. Jacq 🙋♀️🌷🙏
Thank you for uploading your valuable footage.
@MyBirdingYear
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You're welcome and thank you for watching.
You have made a very beautiful and interesting film. I looked with pleasure. Very good live sound.
@MyBirdingYear
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Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for watching.
Fascinating! We have babies at the moment, so this is really good to know. Mum & Dad are in their second year in our garden.
@MyBirdingYear
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Glad it was helpful and thanks for watching. Hope all goes well with the new arrivals!
Ah yes, the Blackbird. One of my favourites. Exquisite song. Thank you for educating me once again 😊
This idea turned out so well! Combining footage from throughout the year lets you tell a story across the whole year. The brown wing feathers was an interesting observation. Thanks for putting this together!
@MyBirdingYear
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Thank you too! The video was going to be a compilation of juvenile blackbirds that had been visiting over the summer and then I remembered your excellent suggestion😊
Nice video - always interesting to watch the dangerous life of the fledglings from the Blackbirds! Kind regards, Rolf
Lovely footage - This will be on repeat on my 2nd monitor. I particularly enjoyed the footage of seasonal changes as well
Such a beautiful film. Thank you for making it and such a good concept to see the development through time like this. ❤
I was wondering if the chicks return to the nest after initially leaving it?
Why do some male and female birds look identical whilst others look completely different?