blackbird

English

a blackbird (Turdus merula)

Etymology

From Middle English blakebird, blacbrid (“ouzel; Eurasian blackbird”), equivalent to black +‎ bird.

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈblakbəːd/
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈblækˌbɚd/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ækbə(ɹ)d

Noun

blackbird (plural blackbirds)

A common true thrush, Turdus merula, found in woods and gardens over much of Eurasia, and introduced elsewhere.
A variety of New World birds of the family Icteridae (26 species of icterid bird).
(slang, derogatory, historical, among slavers and pirates) A native of the South Pacific islands.

Synonyms

(Turdus merula): common blackbird; Eurasian blackbird; merle, merl; ouzel
(Icteridae): icterid

Derived terms

terms derived from blackbird (noun)

blackbirder
blackbirding
Blackbird Leys
skunk blackbird
New World blackbird
- Bolivian blackbird (Agelaioides oreopsar)
- Agelaius
  - red-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius assimilis)
  - red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
  - tawny-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius humeralis)
  - tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor)
  - yellow-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius xanthomus)
- Agelasticus
  - yellow-winged blackbird (Agelasticus thilius)
  - unicolored blackbird (Agelasticus cyanopus)
  - pale-eyed blackbird (Agelasticus xanthophthalmus)
- scarlet-headed blackbird (Amblyramphus holosericeus)
- Chrysomus
  - chestnut-capped blackbird (Chrysomus ruficapillus)
  - yellow-hooded blackbird (Chrysomus icterocephalus)
- Curaeus
  - Forbes's blackbird (Anumara forbesi, syn. Curaeus forbesi)
  - austral blackbird (Curaeus curaeus)
- Dives
  - scrub blackbird (Dives warczewiczi)
  - Cuban blackbird (Ptiloxena atroviolaceus, syn. Dives atroviolaceus)
  - melodious blackbird (Dives dives)
- Euphagus
  - Brewer's blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
  - rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)
- Chopi blackbird (Gnorimopsar chopi)
- oriole blackbird (Gymnomystax mexicanus)
- Jamaican blackbird (Nesopsar nigerrimus)
- Sturnella
  - red-breasted blackbird (Sturnella militaris)
  - white-browed blackbird (Sturnella superciliaris)
- yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
- saffron-cowled blackbird (Xanthopsar flavus)
Old World blackbird
- Turdus
  - grey-winged blackbird (Turdus boulboul)
  - white-collared blackbird (Turdus albocinctus)
  - Indian blackbird (Turdus simillimus)
  - Tibetan blackbird (Turdus maximus)

Translations

Turdus merula: blackbird

Albanian: mëllenjë (sq) f, mëllenjë thumbverdhë f, mullizezë (sq) f, qukël (sq) f, qofkë (sq) f
Arabic: شُحْرُور‎ (šuḥrūr)
Armenian: սև կեռնեխ (sew keṙnex)
Aromanian: njerlã f
Asturian: ñerbatu m
Basque: zozo
Belarusian: дрозд m (drozd)
Breton: moualc’h zu ?
Bulgarian: кос (bg) m (kos)
Catalan: merla (ca) f, tord negre (ca) m
Central Sierra Miwok: čápuk·ati-
Chechen: ӏаьржа хьоза (ˀärža ḥʳoza)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 山鳥／山鸟 (zh) (shānniǎo), 烏鶇／乌鸫 (zh) (wūdōng)
Czech: kos (cs) m, kos černý (cs) m
Dalmatian: miarla f
Danish: solsort (da) c
Dutch: merel (nl) m
Esperanto: merlo (eo)
Estonian: musträstas (et)
Faroese: kvørkveggja (fo) f
Finnish: mustarastas (fi)
French: merle (fr) m, merlesse (fr) f
Louisiana French: tchoc
Friulian: mierli m
Galician: melro (gl) m, merlo (gl) m
Georgian: შაშვი (šašvi)
German: Amsel (de) f, Schwarzdrossel f
Greek: κότσυφας (el) m (kótsyfas)
Ancient: κόσσυφος m (kóssuphos)
Hebrew: שחרור‎ (he) m (shakharúr)
Hungarian: feketerigó (hu)
Icelandic: svartþröstur (is) m
Ido: merlo (io)
Irish: lon dubh m, céirseach f (female)
Italian: merlo (it) m
Japanese: 黒歌鳥 (kuroutadori)
Korean: 대륙검은지빠귀 (daeryukgeomeunjippagwi)
Kumyk: къаратавукъ (qaratawuq)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ڕەشیشە‎ (reşîşe)
Ladin: merlo ?
Latin: merula f
Latvian: melnais meža strazds ?
Lithuanian: juodasis strazdas ?
Luxembourgish: Märel (lb) f
Macedonian: кос m (kos)
Maltese: malvizz iswed ?
Mari:
Eastern Mari: сопсыреҥге (sopsyreṅge), шемлого (šemlogo)
Nahuatl: caxtīllān tliltic tōtōtl
Norman: (male) mêle m, (female) mêlerêsse f
Norwegian:
Bokmål: svarttrost (no) m
Nynorsk: svarttrast (nn) m or f, svarttrost (nn) m or f
Occitan: mèrle m
Old English: ōsle f
Ottoman Turkish: قره طاوق‎ (kara tavuk)
Pennsylvania German: Schwatzvoggel
Plautdietsch: Spree f, Aumsel f
Polish: kos (pl) m
Portuguese: melro (pt) m
Romagnol: méral m (Faenza)
Romanian: mierlă (ro) f
Romansch: merlotscha f
Russian: чёрный дрозд m (čórnyj drozd)
Rusyn: кос m (kos)
Sami:
Lule Sami: tjáhppisrástes
Northern Sami: čáhppesrásttis
Sardinian: picchiaranzu ?, mérula ?, meurra ?
Scots: blackie
Scottish Gaelic: lon m, lon dubh m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: кос m
Roman: kos (sh) m
Slovak: drozd čierny m
Slovene: kos (sl) m
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: kós m
Upper Sorbian: kós m
Spanish: mirlo (es) m
Swedish: koltrast (sv) c
Tiwi: arlitaka
Turkish: karatavuk (tr)
Udi: ч́ач́и (č́ač́i)
Ukrainian: чо́рний дрізд m (čórnyj drizd)
Vietnamese: hạch thước điẻu
Volapük: merul (vo)
Welsh: mwyeilch f pl, adar du m pl
West Frisian: swarte lyster (fy) c

bird of the family Icteridae

Chinese:
Mandarin: 黑鸝／黑鹂 (hēilí)
Dutch: troepiaal (nl) f
Finnish: turpiaali (fi)
Nanticoke: husquinock
Russian: трупиал (ru) m (trupial), кассик (ru) m (kassik), желтушник (ru) m (želtušnik), американская иволга f (amerikanskaja ivolga)
Spanish: turpial m, soldadito m

Verb

blackbird (third-person singular simple present blackbirds, present participle blackbirding, simple past and past participle blackbirded)

To enslave someone, especially through chicanery or force
- 2005, Wal F. Bird, Me No Go Mally Bulla: Recruiting and Blackbirding in the Queensland Labour Trade 1863–1906, published by Ginninderra Press, →ISBN, →ISBN
- 2000, Kate Fortune; Brij V. Lal, The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia – Volume 1, University of Hawaiʻi, →ISBN, page 208:
  “At the same time, island communities — especially in coastal areas, where the effect of population loss was often enormous — sometimes retaliated against blackbirding raids.”

Coordinate terms

ictericus
merula
merulus