Note: Information is dated. Do not rely on it.

Blackbird (Turdus merula), called also the merle, a well-known species of thrush, common in Britain and throughout Europe. It is larger than the common thrush, its length being about eleven inches. The color of the male is a uniform deep black, the bill being an orange yellow; the female is of a brown color, with blackish-brown bill. The American blackbirds belong to the family Icteridae and include several well-known species. The largest of these is the grackle or crow blackbird, a purple-black or bronze-black colored bird a little larger than a robin. It nests by preference in evergreen trees. or in cities on lofty buildings. The red-winged blackbird is smaller than the grackle and has a tuft of scarlet and white feathers on each shoulder It frequents marshes, nesting on low bushes or in tufts of high grass. The cowbird or cow blackbird is about the size of the redwimg. It is deep black with a brown head and neck. It associates with cattle which, in grazing, stir up insects upon which the bird feeds. It lays its eggs in the nests of other birds who hatch and rear its young, often to the detriment of their own.

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