Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush vs Common Blackbird

Catharus aurantiirostris compared with Turdus merula

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush Common Blackbird
Scientific Name Catharus aurantiirostris Turdus merula
Order Passeriformes Passeriformes
Family Turdidae Turdidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length 25.0 cm (9.8 in)
Wingspan 15.4 cm (6.1 in) 36.0 cm (14.2 in)
Weight 28.666666666666668 g (1.01 oz) 100.0 g (3.53 oz)
Diet -- Earthworms, insects, berries, and fruit. Forages on the ground, turning over leaf litter. Famously pulls …
Clutch Size 2-3 3-5
Population Trend

Size Comparison

Body Length
Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush
Common Blackbird 25.0 cm
Wingspan
Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush 15.4 cm
Common Blackbird 36.0 cm
Weight
Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush 28.666666666666668 g
Common Blackbird 100.0 g

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush only

None

Common Blackbird only

Common Blackbird

Woodland, hedgerows, gardens, and parks. One of the most common garden birds across Europe.

Song & Call Comparison

Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush

Common Blackbird

Song

Arguably Britain's finest songster: rich, flute-like phrases with deep, mellow quality. Sings persistently at dusk. Alarm is a sharp 'chook-chook'. Song includes liquid 'pew' notes.

Geographic Range & Migration

Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush

Common Blackbird

Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Introduced to Australia and New Zealand. Northern populations are migratory.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush

Least Concern

Common Blackbird

How to Tell Them Apart

Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush

Common Blackbird

Plumage

Males are jet black with a bright yellow-orange bill and eye-ring. Females are dark brown with mottled underparts and a dull yellowish bill.

Bill

Bright yellow-orange bill in males, dull brownish in females

About These Birds

Common Blackbird

The common blackbird is one of Europe's most familiar and best-loved songbirds, celebrated for its rich, fluting song delivered from rooftop and treetop perches at dawn and dusk. Originally a shy woodland bird, it has colonized urban environments over the past two centuries and become one of the most successful urban adapters.

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