Turdus mandarinus
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
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 |
Very likely
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Blackbird sighting in Suzhou on a given day, based on 2,046 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 171 birds we can rate there.
February–April and August–September
In those months over 90% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Blackbird in Suzhou on a given day, against about 90% in May–July and October–January, the lowest months.
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.
Yes
Of the 40 cities where we can rate Chinese Blackbird sightings, Suzhou has the highest daily chance: about 90%. Next come Shanghai (China, about 90%) and Hefei (China, about 90%).
Same genus: Turdus
The closest relatives of the Chinese Blackbird that you can see in Suzhou (genus Turdus, Typical Thrushes) are Grey-backed Thrush (about 20%), Dusky Thrush (about 10%) and Pale Thrush (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chinese Blackbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Suzhou (2,046 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.
