Editing Common blackbird (section)

==Taxonomy and systematics==
The common blackbird was described by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his landmark 1758 [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'']] as ''Turdus merula'' (characterised as ''T.&nbsp;ater, rostro palpebrisque fulvis'').<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carolus | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | language = la | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata | publisher=Holmiae (Laurentii Salvii)| year=1758| page=170 | url=https://archive.org/details/mobot31753000798865}}</ref> The binomial name derives from two [[Latin]] words, {{Lang|la|turdus}}, "thrush", and {{Lang|la|merula}}, "blackbird", the latter giving rise to its French name, {{Lang|fr|merle}},<ref>{{cite book |title= Le Grand Robert de la langue française |last= Le Robert |first= Paul | language = fr | publisher= Dictionnaires Le Robert |year=2001 |isbn=2-85036-673-0}}</ref> and its [[Scots language|Scots]] name, ''merl''.<ref>{{cite book |title=Dictionary of the Scots Language|publisher=Scottish Language Dictionaries|location=University of Edinburgh|url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/}}</ref>

About 65 species of medium to large thrushes are in the genus ''Turdus'', characterised by rounded heads, longish, pointed wings, and usually melodious songs. Although two European thrushes, the [[song thrush]] and [[mistle thrush]], are early offshoots from the Eurasian lineage of ''Turdus'' thrushes after they spread north from Africa, the blackbird is descended from ancestors that had colonised the [[Canary Islands]] from Africa and subsequently reached Europe from there.<ref name= reilly>{{cite book | last1 = Reilly | first1 = John | title = The Ascent of Birds| series = Pelagic Monographs | publisher = Pelagic | year = 2018| location = Exeter | pages = 221–225 | isbn =  978-1-78427-169-5}}</ref> It is close in evolutionary terms to the [[Tasman Sea island thrush|island thrush]] (''T.&nbsp;poliocephalus'') of Southeast Asia and islands in the southwest Pacific, which probably diverged from ''T.&nbsp;merula'' stock fairly recently.<ref name=Clement/>

It may not immediately be clear why the name "blackbird", first recorded in 1486, was applied to this species, but not to one of the various other common black English birds, such as the [[carrion crow]], [[common raven|raven]], [[Rook (bird)|rook]], or [[jackdaw]]. However, in [[Old English]], and in [[modern English]] up to about the 18th century, "bird" was used only for smaller or young birds, and larger ones such as crows were called "fowl". At that time, the blackbird was therefore the only widespread and conspicuous "black bird" in the British Isles.<ref name="OED">''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', Oxford University Press, 1933: Bird (sense 2), Blackbird</ref> Until about the 17th century, another name for the species was ''ouzel'', ''ousel'' or ''wosel'' (from Old English {{Lang|ang|osle}}, cf. German {{Lang|de|Amsel}}). Another variant occurs in Act 3 of [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', where [[Nick Bottom|Bottom]] refers to "The Woosell cocke, so blacke of hew, With Orenge-tawny bill". The ouzel usage survived later in poetry, and still occurs as the name of the closely related [[ring ouzel]] (''Turdus torquatus''), and in water ouzel, an alternative name for the unrelated but superficially similar [[white-throated dipper]] (''Cinclus cinclus'').<ref name= birdnames>{{cite book | last = Lockwood| first =W. B. | title = Oxford Book of British Bird Names| year = 1984| publisher = Oxford University Press|location= Oxford| isbn = 0-19-214155-4}}</ref>

Five related Asian ''Turdus'' [[thrush (bird)|thrushes]]—the [[white-collared blackbird]] (''T.&nbsp;albocinctus''), the [[grey-winged blackbird]] (''T.&nbsp;boulboul''), the [[Indian blackbird]] (''T.&nbsp;simillimus''), the [[Tibetan blackbird]] (''T.&nbsp;maximus''), and the [[Chinese blackbird]] (''T.&nbsp;mandarinus'')—are also named blackbirds;<ref name = Clement/> the latter three species were formerly treated as [[conspecific]] with the common blackbird.<ref name="IOC" /> In addition, the [[Somali thrush]] (''T.&nbsp;(olivaceus) ludoviciae'') is alternatively known as the Somali blackbird.<ref name= Sinclair>Sinclair, I., & P. Ryan (2003). ''Birds of Africa south of the Sahara''. Struik Publishers, Cape Town. {{ISBN|1-86872-857-9}}</ref>

The [[icterid]] family of the New World is sometimes called the blackbird family because of some species' superficial resemblance to the common blackbird and other Old World thrushes, but they are not evolutionarily close, being related to the [[New World warbler]]s and [[tanager]]s.<ref name= Jaramillo>{{cite book |title=New World Blackbirds: The Icterids|series=[[Helm Identification Guides]] |last= Jaramillo |first=Alvaro |author2=Burke, Peter |publisher=Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd.|year=1997 |isbn= 0-7136-4333-1}}</ref> The term is often limited to smaller species with mostly or entirely black plumage, at least in the breeding male, notably the [[cowbird]]s,<ref>{{cite web | title = All About Birds: Bronzed Cowbird | year = 2003 | publisher = Cornell Lab of Ornithology | url = http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Bronzed_Cowbird_dtl.html | access-date = 18 February 2008}}</ref> the [[Quiscalus|grackles]],<ref>{{cite web | title = All About Birds: Great-tailed Grackle | year = 2003 | publisher = Cornell Lab of Ornithology | url = http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great-tailed_Grackle.html | access-date = 18 February 2008}}</ref> and for around 20 species with "blackbird" in the name, such as the [[red-winged blackbird]] and the [[melodious blackbird]].<ref name= Jaramillo/>

===Subspecies===
As would be expected for a widespread passerine bird species, several geographical subspecies are recognised. The treatment of subspecies in this article follows Clement et al. (2000).<ref name = Clement/>
* ''T. m. merula'', the nominate subspecies, breeds commonly throughout much of Europe from [[Iceland]], the [[Faroes]] and the British Isles east to the [[Ural Mountains]] and north to about 70 N, where it is fairly scarce. A small population breeds in the [[Nile Valley]]. Birds from the north of the range winter throughout Europe and around the Mediterranean, including [[Cyprus]] and North Africa. The introduced birds in Australia and New Zealand are of the nominate race.<ref name = Clement/>
* ''T. m. azorensis'' is a small race which breeds in the [[Azores]]. The male is darker and glossier than ''merula''.<ref name=BWP/>
* ''T. m. cabrerae'', named for [[Ángel Cabrera (naturalist)|Ángel Cabrera]], the Spanish [[zoology|zoologist]], resembles ''azorensis'' and breeds in [[Madeira]] and the western [[Canary Islands]].<ref name=BWP/>
* ''T. m. mauritanicus'', another small dark subspecies with a glossy black male plumage, breeds in central and northern [[Morocco]], coastal [[Algeria]] and northern [[Tunisia]].<ref name=BWP/>[[File:Turdus merula -autumn leaves -Budapest-8.jpg|thumb|First-summer male, probably subspecies ''aterrimus'']]
* ''T m. aterrimus'' breeds in Hungary, south and east to southern Greece, [[Crete]], northern [[Turkey]] and northern [[Iran]]. It winters in southern Turkey, northern [[Egypt]], [[Iraq]] and southern Iran. It is smaller than ''merula'' with a duller male and paler female plumage.<ref name=BWP/>
* ''T. m. syriacus'' breeds on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey south to [[Jordan]], Israel and the northern [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]]. It is mostly resident, but part of the population moves southwest or west to winter in the [[Jordan River|Jordan Valley]] and in the [[Nile Delta]] of northern Egypt south to about [[Cairo]]. Both sexes of this subspecies are darker and greyer than the equivalent ''merula'' plumages.<ref name = Clement/>
* ''T. m. intermedius'' is an Asian race breeding from Central Russia to [[Tajikistan]], western and northeastern Afghanistan, and eastern China. Many birds are resident, but some are altitudinal migrants and occur in southern Afghanistan and southern Iraq in winter.<ref name= Clement/> This is a large subspecies, with a sooty-black male and a blackish-brown female.<ref name="HBW3"/>

The Central Asian subspecies, the relatively large ''intermedius'', also differs in structure and voice, and may represent a distinct species.<ref name="HBW3">Collar, N. J. (2005). Common Blackbird (''Turdus merula''). p. 645 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Christie, D. A. eds. (2005) ''[[Handbook of the Birds of the World]]''. Vol. 10. Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. {{ISBN|84-87334-72-5}}</ref> Alternatively, it has been suggested that it should be considered a subspecies of ''[[Tibetan blackbird|T.&nbsp;maximus]]'',<ref name=Clement/> but it differs in structure, voice and the appearance of the eye-ring.<ref name="HBW3"/><ref name="HBW2">Collar, N. J. (2005). Tibetan Blackbird (''Turdus maximus''). p. 646 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Christie, D. A., eds. (2005). ''[[Handbook of the Birds of the World]]''. Vol. 10: ''Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes''. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. {{ISBN|84-87334-72-5}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="165px">
File:Amsel Weibchen aufgeplustert edit2.jpg|Female of subspecies ''merula''
File:Turdus merula (juvenile) -lawn-8.jpg|Juvenile ''T. m. merula'' in England
File:Common blackbird (Turdus merula) male, young adult.jpg|Young adult ''T.&nbsp;m. merula'' in [[Oxfordshire]]
File:Turdus merula -Cradley, England -pied-8.jpg|A [[leucism|leucistic]] adult male in England with much white in the plumage
File:Turdus merula -Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain-8 (2).jpg|''T. m. cabrerae'' on [[Gran Canaria]], Canary Islands, Spain
</gallery>

===Similar species===
In Europe, the common blackbird can be confused with the paler-winged first-winter [[ring ouzel]] (''Turdus torquatus'') or the superficially similar [[common starling]] (''Sturnus vulgaris'').<ref name= Collins>Mullarney, Killian; Svensson, Lars, Zetterstrom, Dan; Grant, Peter (2001). ''Birds of Europe''. Princeton University Press. pp. 304–306. {{ISBN|0-691-05054-6}}</ref> A number of similar ''[[Turdus]]'' thrushes exist far outside the range of the common blackbird, for example the South American [[Chiguanco thrush]] (''Turdus chiguanco'').<ref name= Fjeldsaa>Fjeldså, J., & N. Krabbe (1990). ''The Birds of the High Andes''. Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen. {{ISBN|87-88757-16-1}}</ref> The [[Indian blackbird]] (''Turdus simillimus''), the [[Tibetan blackbird]] (''Turdus maximus''), and the [[Chinese blackbird]] (''Turdus mandarinus'') were formerly treated as subspecies of the common blackbird.<ref name="IOC">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/thrushes/|title=Thrushes|last1=Gill|first1=F.|last2=Donsker|first2=D.|date=20 July 2015|work=IOC World Bird List, version 5.3 |access-date=29 September 2015}}</ref>