Eurasian Blackbird

SCI Name:  Turdus merula
Protonym:  Turdus Merula Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.170
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Turdidae / Turdus
Taxonomy Code:  eurbla
Type Locality:  in Europae sylvis; restricted to Sweden by Hartert, 1910, Vog. pal. Fauna, 1, p. 665.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

TURDUS
(Turdidae; Ϯ Mistle Thrush T. viscivorus) L. turdus  thrush; "95. TURDUS.  Rostrum tereti-cultratum, maxilla superiore apice deflexo.  Nares nudæ, superne membranula semitectæ.  Lingua lacero-emarginata." (Linnaeus 1758); "Turdus Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, p. 168. Type, by subsequent designation (Gray, 1840, List Gen. Birds, p. 27), Turdus viscivorus Linnaeus." (Ripley in Peters 1964, X, 177). Linnaeus's Turdus comprised sixteen species (T. viscivorus, T. pilaris, T. iliacus, T. musicus, T. Canorus, T. rufus, T. polyglottos, T. Orpheus, T. plumbeus, T. crinitus, T. roseus, T. Merula, T. torquatus, T. solitarius, T. arundinaceus, T. virens).   
Var. Turus, Trudus, Turtus, Curdus.     
Synon. Afrocichla, Arceuthornis, Cichlherminia, Cichloides, Cichloselys, Copsichus, Copsicus, Cossyphopsis, Galeoscoptes, Haplocichla, Hodoiporus, Iliacus, Ixocossyphus, Lamprophonus, Melizocincla, Meridiocichla, Merula, Merulissima, Mimocichla, Mimokitta, Nesocichla, Peliocichla, Petrocincla, Planesticus, Platycichla, Semimerula, Thoracocincla, Turdela, Turdicus.

turdus
L. turdus  thrush.
● ex “Grivetin” of Levaillant 1802, pl. 118 < French Grive thrush (syn. Erythropygia leucophrys).
● "89. Loxia Turdus F.  ...  Habitat in insula australi Novae Zeeelandiae, simillima Turdo, statura, colore, pedibus.  Corpus magnitudine Turdi viscivori, supra fuscum." (Forster 1844) (syn. Turnagra capensis).

merula
L. merula  blackbird.
● "95. TURDUS.  ...  Merula.  12. T. ater, rostro palpebrisque fulvis. Fn. svec. 184.  Merula. Bell. av. 30. b. Gesn. av. 603. Aldr. orn. l. 16. c. 6. Will. orn. 140. t. 37. Raj. av. 65. n. 1. Alb. av. I. 35. t. 37. Frisch. av. 27. f. 1. 2. Olin. av. 29.  Habitat in Europæ sylvis, Juniperi disseminator. Femina fusca est. Pullus primo anno, etiam masculus, rostro nigro." (Linnaeus 1758) (Turdus).

Merula
L. merula  blackbird.
• (Momotidae; syn. Momotus † Amazonian Motmot M. momota) "112. MERVLA.  Guira Guainumbi. MARGGR. ap. WILL. Orn. 103. t. 24.  ...  Rectricum binæ mediæ longissimæ, dimidio nudæ: ad extremum plumosæ." (Moehring 1752); "Merula Moehring, 1752, Avium Genera, p. 84.  A pre-Linnaean name, but both G. Gray, 1841, List Genera Birds, p. 12, and G. Gray, 1855, Cat. Genera Subgenera Birds Brit. Mus., p. 14, treat it as a synonym of Momotus, with Momotus brasiliensis Latham, 1790 = Ramphastos momota Linnaeus, 1766, as type." (JAJ 2021).
• (Sturnidae; syn. Pastor † Rose-coloured Starling P. roseus) "Gattung. Staaramsel. Merula.  ...  Eine Art. Rosenfarbige Staaramsel. Merula rosea" (Koch 1816); "Merula Koch, 1816, System der baierischen Zoologie, I, p. 242.  Type, by monotypy, Merula rosea, i.e. Turdus roseus Linnaeus, 1758." (JAJ 2021).
• (Thraupidae; syn. Piranga † Summer Tanager P. rubra) "*Merula flammula; sand-hill red bird of Carolina.   *M. Marilandica; the summer red bird" (Bartram 1792).
• (Pittidae; syn. Pitta † Indian Pitta P. brachyura) "258. Breve de Bengale BUFF. VI. p. 123. 3.  Merle vert de Bengale BRISS. Ornith. II. p. 316. Merula (Corvus) Brachyurus, LINN. Gen. 50. 15. short tailed Crow. LATH. birds I. p. 398" (Boddaert 1783).
• (Turdidae; syn. Turdus † Ring Ouzel T. torquatus) "182. Merle de Montagne, BUFF. VI. p. 16. BRISS. Ornith. p. 232. pl. XXI. 1. Merula montana, LINN. syst. VI" (Boddaert 1783); "Merula BODDAERT, Table Pl. Enl., 1783, p. 11 (No. 182), p. 16 (No. 258).  Type, "Merula montana, LINN. syst. VI." [= Turdus torquatus LINNAEUS].  (Present designation.)" (Richmond 1917).
• (Turdidae; syn. Turdus † Common Blackbird T. merula) "grives (ou baccivori), les merles qui ont le plumage tacheté, et merles proprement dits (merulæ) ceux qui ont le plumage à-peu-près d'une même teinte" (Duméril 1805).
• (Turdidae; syn. Turdus † Common Blackbird T. merula) "Merula nigra, ♂.  Black Ouzel, male" (Leach 1816 (ed. Salvin 1882)); "Merula Leach, 1816, Syst. Cat. Spec. Mamm. Birds Brit. Mus., p. 20. Type, by monotypy, Merula nigra Leach = Turdus merula Linnaeus." (Ripley in Peters, 1964, X, p. 177).
• (Turdidae; syn. Turdus † Common Blackbird T. merula) Specific name Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758; "44. Gattung. Merula.3  87. merula   88. torquata.   ...   3 Unterscheidendes Kennzeichen der Gattung: die mehr oder weniger schwarze Farbe des Gefieders ohne Glanz" (Boie 1822).

SUBSPECIES

Eurasian Blackbird (merula)
SCI Name: Turdus merula merula
merula
L. merula  blackbird.
● "95. TURDUS.  ...  Merula.  12. T. ater, rostro palpebrisque fulvis. Fn. svec. 184.  Merula. Bell. av. 30. b. Gesn. av. 603. Aldr. orn. l. 16. c. 6. Will. orn. 140. t. 37. Raj. av. 65. n. 1. Alb. av. I. 35. t. 37. Frisch. av. 27. f. 1. 2. Olin. av. 29.  Habitat in Europæ sylvis, Juniperi disseminator. Femina fusca est. Pullus primo anno, etiam masculus, rostro nigro." (Linnaeus 1758) (Turdus).

Eurasian Blackbird (azorensis)
SCI Name: Turdus merula azorensis
azorensis / azorica / azoricus
Azores, North Atlantic Ocean (Portuguese Açores hawks, seen by early explorers).

Eurasian Blackbird (cabrerae)
SCI Name: Turdus merula cabrerae
cabrerae
● Dr Ángel Cabrera y Latorre (1879-1960) Spanish zoologist, palaeontologist, emigrated to Argentina 1925 (syn. Periparus ater vieirae).
● Dr Anatael Cabrera y Diaz (1866-1943) Spanish physician resident in the Canary Is., naturalist (subsp. Turdus merula).

Eurasian Blackbird (mauritanicus)
SCI Name: Turdus merula mauritanicus
mauritanica / mauritanicum / mauritanicus / mauritanus
L. Mauritanicus  Moorish, of Mauretania  < Mauritania  Morocco.  

Eurasian Blackbird (aterrimus)
SCI Name: Turdus merula aterrimus
aterrima / aterrimum / aterrimus
Unattested L. aterrimus  very black, blackest  < super. ater  black.
● ex “Great Black Cockatoo” of Edwards 1764, “Kakatoës noir” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Black Cockatoo” of Latham 1781 (Probosciger).
● ex “Puffinus carbonaria” of Solander MS, and “Bulweria aterrima” of authors (Pseudobulweria).
● ex “Lesser Black Promerops” of Latham 1822 (Rhinopomastus).

Eurasian Blackbird (syriacus)
SCI Name: Turdus merula syriacus
syriaca / syriacus
L. Syriacus Syrian.
● Bischerra, Syria (= Bcharre, Lebanon); ex “Fringilla syriaca” of Hemprich & Ehrenberg MS (Serinus).
● Tripoli, Syria; ex “Hasbesch de Syrie” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Tripoline Finch” of Latham 1783 (unident.).

Eurasian Blackbird (intermedius)
SCI Name: Turdus merula intermedius
intermedea / intermedia / intermedianus / intermedium / intermedius
L. intermedius  intermediate, that is between (cf. Late L. intermedium  intervention, between two others; Med. L. intermedium  interval).  These epithets are common in ornithology, highlighting forms considered to have intermediate plumage, size, distribution, etc.; only a few are shown below.
• “Genus Ardea.   ...   A. intermedia.  ...  Habitat in insula Java.  Simillima habitu ac colore Ardeae flavirostri, eadem dimidio fere minor.” (Wagler 1829) (Ardea).
• "73.  Coracina papuensis papuensis Gm.   ...   The birds from the Snow Mts. are exactly intermediate between C. p. papuensis from N. W. New Guinea and C. p. meekiana from S. E. New Guinea; so I propose to call the race found on the south side of the Central Range.   Coracina papuensis intermedia subsp. nov." (Rothschild 1931) (subsp. Coracina papuensis).
• "Ce tinamou présente, comme nous l'avons dit, des caractères de transition entre Calopezus elegans et Calopezus formosus.  Cette nouvelle espèce, ou peut-être race intermédiaire, qui paraît localisée dans les régions montagneuses du Nord-ouest de la République Argentine, nous la distinguerons avec le nom de:  Calopezus intermedius n. sp.   ...   Il est possible que Calopezus intermedius et Calopezus formosus représentent seulement des formes géographiques de Calopezus elegans" (Dabbene & Lillo 1913) ( subsp. Eudromia elegans).
• "Formicivora   ...   F. grisea  ...  Kommt in Brasilien, Cayenne und Guiana vor.   ...   F. rufatra  ...  Vaterland: Brasilien und Bolivien.   ...   F. intermedia.  ...  Vaterland: Columbien" (Cabanis 1847) (Formicivora).
• "Falco pondicerianus apud Horsfield is a race intermediate to Haliastur indus of India proper and H. leucosternum of Australia, having dark central streaks to the white portion of the plumage, but considerably less developed than (constantly) in the Indian bird..  ...  Of very many examples of the Indian race examined or beheld close, I certainly have never seen one that had the dark streaks or lines so little developed as in the Javanese bird, or most assuredly I should have remarked it.  To what extent the Indian and Australian races may thus grade into each other, in other intermediate localities, remains to be ascertained.  ...  Mr. Gurney informs me that he thinks the Javanese race should be distinguished by the name intermedius." (Blyth 1865) (subsp. Haliastur indus).
• "Then we have in Tenasserim, most abundant in the hills, but extending in the cold weather to the sea-board and the plains of Pegu, a race of melaschistus, which I will, for convenience sake, denominate VOLVOCIVORA  INTERMEDIA.  It is very close to melaschistus, and as such I originally identified it, but with 24 specimens before me I find that sex being ascertained no specimen of it can be mistaken for a specimen of the corresponding sex of melaschistus, but it is much the same size, and the old males are nearly as possible the same colour as the females of melaschistus.  ...  I am very doubtful whether this should be considered a subspecies or not, but it is a very distinguishable and perfectly constant race, and not one single specimen of true melaschistus has occurred to us throughout the region in which it is so abundant, and it may be best therefore to characterize it by a distinct name." (Hume 1877) (subsp. Lalage melaschistos).
• "5.  SETOPHAGA  INTERMEDIA, Nob.  ...  Espèce typique intermédiaire entre la S. vulnerata et la S. verticalis, Lafresn.  Elle diffère de la première par un bec plus grand et plus large, par la gorge cendrée, par le coloris de la queue, par la couleur de l'abdomen; la S. verticalis, Lafr. est jaune d'œuf en dessous." (Hartlaub 1852) (subsp. Myioborus miniatus).
• "3. CRYPTOLOPHA  INTERMEDIA  La Touche, sp. n.   Near C. tephrocephala (Anders.) and C. affinis (Hodgs.).  Differs from the former in having a much shorter bill, and the secondary coverts distinctly tipped with pale yellow, forming a well-marked bar; from C. affinis it differs in having a ring of feathers round the eye, yellow." (La Touche 1898) (Phylloscopus).
• “728. —  Pipreola viridis intermedia  ...  Forme intermédiaire entre la P. viridis de la Bolivie et la P. melanolæma de l’Ecuador, plus voisine de la dernière.” (Taczanowski 1884) (Pipreola).
• "Ploceus intermedius.  Sehr nahe mit meinem Ploceus larvatus verwandte Art.  Vorderkopf bis über den hintern Augenwinkel, Kehle, Oberhals und Ohrengegend schwarz, Hinterkopf und Nacken röthlich braungelb.  Mitte der Brust orangengelb, Seiten des Halses und Unterkörpers citrongelb.  Rücken gelbgrün, gegen den Schwanz hin citronengelb." (Rüppell 1845) (Ploceus).
• “This species is somewhat intermediate between Palaeornis schisticeps and P. cyanocephala in size and coloration, but is nearer P. schisticeps” (Rothschild 1895) (syn. Psittacula cyanocephala x Psittacula himalayana).
• "RHIPIDURA  INTERMEDIA, sp. nov.  ...  Dr. Sharpe's description of Rhipidura rufifrons in the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," vol. iv., p. 319 (1879), evidently applies to this species, for he describes the tail feathers as being "distinctly tipped with white."  The type of Rhipidura rufifrons characterized by Dr. Latham, was obtained in New South Wales, and has the tips of the tail feathers pale brown, not white.  In the latter respect Rhipidura intermedia agrees with R. torrida, described and figured (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1865, p. 477, pl. xxviii.) by Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, from the island of Ternate, but R. torrida differs from R. intermedia in having the ear-coverts and upper breast black." (North 1902) (subsp. Rhipidura rufifrons).
• "Sp. intermedia n. sp.  ... Der [Sp.] hypoleuca im Schnabel und der ganzen Gestalt äusserst ähnlich, nur etwas kleiner, von dieser durch die nicht weisse, sondern graue Färbung der Kehle und Brust verschieden, mithin fast ganz so gefärbt wie Sp. plumbea, von welcher intermedia sich nur unterscheidet durch den grössern Schnabel und die kürzeren abgerundeteren, daher nicht so zugespitzten Flügel; auch sind Kehle und Brust etwas dunkler als in plumbea und fehlt das weisse Fleckchen an der Wurzel des Unterkiefers; der weisse Spiegel auf dem Flügel ist kleiner und versteckter" (Cabanis 1851) (Sporophila).
• "Thamnistes anabatinus intermedius subsp. nov.  ...  This form, based on but one specimen, is clearly an intermediate between T. æquatorialis of eastern Ecuador and southeastern Colombia, and the quite different T. anabatinus group of Panama to Mexico.  Its crown and back closely agree in color with those of æquatorialis while the underparts are similar to those of T. a. coronatus; the tail and wings externally are intermediate but nearer to those of coronatus." (Chapman 1914) (subsp. Thamnistes anabatinus).
• "33.  Thamnophilus intermedius, sp. nov.   SP. CHAR.—Adult male: Similar to that of T. nigricristatus LAWR., but bill larger, and feathers of crest largely white in middle portion; adult female similar to that of T. doliatus, but with larger bill." (Ridgway 1888) (subsp. Thamnophilus doliatus).
• "ZOSTEROPS  INTERMEDIA.  ...  Very near Z. flava, but a little larger, more yellow on the forehead and less on the upper tail-coverts, and the black subocular streak not extending so far forward  ...  Hab. Macassar and Lombock.   Remark.—Mr. G. R. Gray attached the MS. name of intermedius to my Macassar specimen." (Wallace 1864) (subsp. Zosterops chloris).