Turdus simillimus
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The Indian blackbird (Turdus simillimus) is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the common blackbird. It is found only in India and Sri Lanka. The subspecies from most of the Indian subcontinent, simillimus, nigropileus, bourdilloni and spencei, are small, only 19–20 centimetres (7.5–7.9 inches) long, and have broad eye-rings. They also differ in proportions, wing formula, egg colour and voice from the common blackbird.
The Nilgiri blackbird (T. s. simillimus) is resident up to 2,000 metres in the Western Ghats from Biligirirangans and Nilgiris till about Nelliampathies where it integrates with Bourdillon's blackbird. The black-capped blackbird (T. s. nigropileus) is resident up to about 1,820 metres (5,970 feet) in the Western Ghats of western India and the northern and central parts of the Western Ghats. Some populations migrate further south in winter. The male is brownish slate-grey with a dark cap, and the female is mid-brown, paler below. It is small with a relatively broad yellow eye-ring.
Spence's blackbird (T. s. spencei), named for William Spence, British entomologist, is very similar to nigropileus, but has a... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Blackbird sighting in Nagarhole National Park on a given day, based on 42 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 184th most-seen of the 272 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Blackbird in Nagarhole National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to February, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Blackbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
4th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Indian Blackbird sightings, Nagarhole National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Horton Plains National Park (Sri Lanka, about 70%), Eravikulam National Park (India, about 60%) and Mudumalai National Park (India, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Blackbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Nagarhole National Park (42 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
