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The books are listed in order of publication date with the most recent at the top.

Blackbird

Common Blackbird
Turdus merula

The Blackbird is a member of the Thrush family. See also:

Thrushes

Thrushes

Peter Clement

Additional illustrations: Clive Byers and Jan Wilczur

Princeton University Press

2001

"This is the first book in nearly one hundred years that is solely devoted to thrushes, one of the most widespread and well-known families of birds in the world. It treats comprehensively the world's 162 species of true thrushes and covers some of the best-known garden species as well as some of the rarest and most elusive of all birds. It also includes some of the most musically accomplished singers of any bird family. The book contains a wealth of detailed information on identification and distribution, with a full description of each species, including reference to all recognized races. Emphasis is given to vocalizations-often the key to identifying thrush species. Habitat and range for all species, together with information on movements and breeding behavior, are also covered. For the first time, all species in the family of Turdidae thrushes are described and illustrated in full color. These superb illustrations are complemented by line drawings depicting particular aspects of shape or plumage. The 60 color plates comprise approximately 540 images, covering all but one, long-extinct species. The depictions differentiate adults, immatures, and most of the distinctive races. The plates are accompanied by color maps showing the breeding and wintering range for each species. The detailed and accurate text and spectacular color illustrations will make this book indispensable to all ornithologists and birders. This will be, undoubtedly, the standard work on thrushes for many years to come."

Thrushes

Peter Clement

Christopher Helm

2000

Covers the 162 species in the family Turdidae. Includes 60 colour plates which show all species with immature birds and distinct races. Additional line drawings highlight aspects of shape or plumage. Colour distribution maps show the breeding and wintering range for each species. The text includes information about identification, geographical variation, voice, status and distribution, movements, habitat, behavior, and measurements for all species.

Partnerships in Birds: The Ecology of Monogamy

Editor: Jeffrey M. Black

1996

"Some birds mate for life, while others have many partners. Why? In this book, fourteen classic studies of bird behaviour are brought together to compare the different partnership patterns from ecological and evolutionary perspectives. Often there is a battle of the sexes, as individual birds behave in the way that serves their best interests. Introductory and concluding chapters review the latest thinking on this fascinating subject."

Contents: Initial Perspectives; Introduction: pair bonds and partnerships; The battle of the sexes and the origins of monogamy; The model family; Continuous Partnerships; Long-term monogamy in a river specialist - the Blue Duck; Do Barnacle Geese benefit from life-long monogamy?; Mate fidelity in swans; Breeding partnrship in two New World jays; Partnerships in promiscuous Splendid Fairy-wrens; Part-Time Partnerships; Divorce in the European Blackbird; Mate fidelity and divorce in ptarmigan; Causes and consequences of long-term partnerships in Cassin's Auklets; Monogamy in a long-lived seabird: the Short-tailed Shearwaters; Between and within-population variation in mate fidelity in the Great Tit; Monogamy in the Sparrowhawk; Mate fidelity in penguins; Causes and consequences of mate fidelity in Red-billed Gulls; Dispersal, demography, and the persistence of partnerships in Indigo Buntings; Concluding Perspectives; Monogamy and sperm competition in birds; Mate fidelity and divorce in monogamous birds.

The Blackbird

David W. Snow

1987

This book describes in detail the life and times of the blackbird including information on identification, breeding, populations, longevity and mortality, and its relationship with Man.

British Thrushes

Eric Simms

New Naturalist Series 63

1978

A 300 page study of British thrushes. Includes black and white photographs, sketches, charts and maps.

A Study Of The Blackbird

David W. Snow

Allen & Unwin (1958) / British Museum (1989)

1958

Classic study of a community of blackbirds in the Botanic Garden in Oxford. The 1989 revised edition included a new preface and a postscript to the text which also includes additions to the bibliography.

Buy 1989 edition from amazon.co.uk

The Blackbird: A Contribution to the study of a Single Avian Species

A. F. C. Hillstead

1945

A 100 page monograph on the Blackbird with black and white photographs. Subjects covered include; song, territory, nesting, display and courtship, food, migration and plumage.