Juvenile Common Blackbird

A juvenile Common Blackbird pauses among low vegetation near Skywalk Allgäu, showing its characteristic brown and mottled young plumage.

This photograph shows a juvenile Common Blackbird, also known as the Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula), photographed near Skywalk Allgäu outside Scheidegg in Bavaria, Germany. Unlike the glossy black adult male, young blackbirds have predominantly brown plumage with pale mottling and streaking across the breast and upperparts. The dark bill, large dark eye and relatively long tail are also typical of this familiar European thrush.