Birds of the feathered type

[kenj]

We have a new adopted family member. I think she adopted us instead of us adopting her. A female Blackbird who wad pretty bedraggled and with a droopy wing and a limp after the torrential rains a couple of weeks ago. Because of her problems we have named her Hoppity Must be a liked area as I have lots of fine mulch on the gardens and mulch is usually full of insects. Like a pig in muck she settled in! She gets fresh orange juice for brekky every day as well. Quite funny as she likes being alone. When I put the orange halves out she is in, boots and all. Strangely, when a sparrow comes for a treat she looks at it like a hissing cat with her beak half open and starts advancing towards the enemy, even if it means looking like a bully to another who is only half her size.

I have to confess that after 6 months sans DSLR, and missing the abilities of them, I went and bought myself a new one a couple of weeks ago. Happy chappy now. This is what I used for the attached picture.

Ken

[Bryan]

I might be very wrong here but from the plumage she looks like a thrush. I don't think female blackbirds have the mottling on the chest. Nice bird though but too small for thanksgiving!

[Roscoe]

I might be very wrong here but from the plumage she looks like a thrush. I don't think female blackbirds have the mottling on the chest. Nice bird though but too small for thanksgiving!

I would agree with you Bryan. Looks like a thrush to me. The speckled chest is the giveaway.

[allblack]

Interesting - I've adopted a bird in the last few weeks. Started hanging around the back door and occasionally flies in, walks around, shits, and then leaves.

So that's nice.

I call it 'walk-in bird'. When it takes a dump on the bench I call it other things.

[piroska]

We have lots. The nesting tuis, blackbirds sparrows etc.
We feed some now and then, and they love the gardening and mowing, hop down and follow behind eating, I'm not sure what....worms, snails, seeds...

[kenj]

Had me confused as well so I looked up a NZ garden birds site ad here is what I read......

Female Blackbirds are dark brown with a smudgy mottled breast, unlike their male counterparts their bills are a dull orange/brown

The song Thrush can be easily recognised by its speckled brown-on-cream breast. In this species both the males and females look alike.

Ken

[Bryan]

She doesn't have cream of a thrush so you are most probably right that she is a blackbird.

[Zippity]

She's a Blackbird.

Hopefully you will have her eating bread from your hands soon.

They live for about 15 years

[kenj]

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night" (Paul McCartney)

Ken

[Zippity]

Here's my friend from 2015.

She would eat bread out of my hand