Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Photo: Ray Kennedy, RSPB Images

Where to find them: Everywhere, especially gardens and rooftops

When to hear them: All year round, most vocal March-June

Diet: Insects, worms, berries


London’s most common songbird is also one of its finest. The gentle trill of the male blackbird will be a common sound in London from late March until June.

Blackbirds like to sing from high places, so you’ll often see them quite literally singing from the rooftops. The males are the only blackbirds that are actually black; the females are more subdued brown colour. Their song is mellow, but the birds themselves are fiercely territorial, and they have a number of different calls, which tell other blackbirds to stay away.

They’re doing well throughout London, but are really flourishing in Croydon, where they are third most common bird species.

Top 10 most spotted rating:

Croydon: 3rd

Lewisham: 6th

Tower Hamlets: 6th

Hackney: 7th

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