Chinese Blackbird

Chinese Blackbird

Turdus mandarinus

Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
at Changsha

In 3 days >90%

110 Verified sightings at Changsha
38 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Chinese Blackbird

The Chinese blackbird (Turdus mandarinus) is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. It was formerly considered conspecific with the related common blackbird (T. merula). The Chinese blackbird (T. m. mandarinus) breeds throughout much of southern, central and eastern China. It is a partial migrant to Hong Kong and south to Laos and Vietnam. The male is sooty black, and the female is similar but browner, and paler on the underparts. It is a large subspecies.

Sowerby's blackbird (T. m. sowerbyi), named for James Sowerby, British naturalist and illustrator, breeds from eastern Sichuan to Guizhou. It is partially migratory, with some individuals spending the winter in southern China and northern Indochina. It resembles mandarinus, but is smaller and darker below.

It is typically monogamous, but some exceptions have been observed. It is omnivorous. During the breeding season, it primarily feeds on earthworms. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:46

China · 2026

© Bo Shunqi 薄顺奇 · XC1180530 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:30

China · 2026

© Peter Boesman · XC1147853 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:30

China · 2026

© Penghui Lou · XC1070216 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Suzhou 🇨🇳 China
~90%
2 Shanghai 🇨🇳 China
~90%
3 Hefei 🇨🇳 China
~90%
4 Ningbo 🇨🇳 China
~80%
5 Wuhan 🇨🇳 China
~80%
6 Chengdu 🇨🇳 China
~80%
7 Nanjing 🇨🇳 China
~80%
8 Nanchang 🇨🇳 China
~80%
9 Xi'an 🇨🇳 China
~80%
10 Changsha 🇨🇳 China
~80%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Chișinău Zoo 🇲🇩 Moldova In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Chinese Blackbird in Changsha?

Very likely

About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Blackbird sighting in Changsha on a given day, based on 110 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 67 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Chinese Blackbird in Changsha?

January, March, May and July

In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Blackbird in Changsha on a given day, against about 50% in October, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Chinese Blackbird?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chinese Blackbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Changsha the best place to see a Chinese Blackbird?

10th of 40

Of the 40 cities where we can rate Chinese Blackbird sightings, Changsha ranks 10th at about 80%. The best odds are in Suzhou (China, about 90%), Shanghai (China, about 90%) and Hefei (China, about 90%).

Which relatives of the Chinese Blackbird live in Changsha?

Same genus: Turdus

The closest relatives of the Chinese Blackbird that you can see in Changsha (genus Turdus, Typical Thrushes) are Japanese Thrush (about 20%), Grey-backed Thrush (about 20%) and Dusky Thrush (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Chinese Blackbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Chinese Blackbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Changsha (110 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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