blackbird

views updated May 17 2018

blackbird Songbird of the thrush family, common in gardens and woodland throughout most of Europe, the Near East, Australia, and New Zealand. The male has jet-black plumage and a bright orange bill. The female is brown, with a brown bill. The blackbird feeds on earthworms and other invertebrates. Length: to 25cm (10in). Species Turdus merula.

World Encyclopedia

blackbird

views updated Jun 27 2018

black·bird / ˈblakˌbərd/ • n. 1. a European thrush (genus Turdus) with mainly black plumage. 2. an American bird (family Icteridae) with a strong pointed bill. The male has black plumage that is iridescent or has patches of red or yellow.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

blackbird

views updated Jun 11 2018

blackbird
1. (Turdus merula) See TURDIDAE.

2. (New World blackbirds) See ICTERIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

blackbird

views updated May 23 2018

blackbird the blackbird is noted for its song; it is also the emblem of the 7th-century Irish monk St Kevin.

In the 19th century, blackbird was also a slang term for a black or Polynesian captive on a slave ship.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES