Turdus mandarinus
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chișinău Zoo | 🇲🇩 Moldova |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Blackbird sighting in Guangzhou on a given day, based on 1,853 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 8th most-seen of the 266 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Blackbird in Guangzhou on a given day, against about 40% in September and October, the lowest months. Those are among Guangzhou's wettest months, with about 300 mm of rain a month against 30 mm in December.
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.
21st of 40
Of the 40 cities where we can rate Chinese Blackbird sightings, Guangzhou ranks 21st at about 60%. The best odds are in Suzhou (China, about 90%), Shanghai (China, about 90%) and Hefei (China, about 90%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chinese Blackbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Guangzhou (1,853 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.
