Editing Common blackbird (section)

===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>