Blackbird
Turdus merula
Blackbirds owe their name to the characteristic black plumage of the males; females exhibit a more brownish plumage, but in most situations it is possible to distinguish the two genders. The orange beak (or yellow) and periocular ring of the same color are morphological features worthy of highlighting.
The scientific name of the species assigned by Linnaeus in 1758, have the following meaning: Turdus is the Latin term for thrush because the blackbird shares the same genus with other European thrushes, all included in the Turdidae family; merula in Latin literally means “blackbird”, creasing the cosmopolitan character of its distribution.
Text: João E. Rabaça