Difference between blackbird and thrush – simply explained

by Estelle

Blackbirds, thrushes, finches and starlings – do you know the difference between blackbirds and thrushes? We show you how to tell the birds apart.

Blackbird and thrush – here’s the difference

A blackbird is also a thrush, but a thrush is not necessarily a blackbird. A thrush refers to a family of birds, whereas a blackbird is a species of bird. For a better understanding, we explain the biological systematics.

  • The blackbird belongs to the class “bird”, followed by the order “passerine bird”. The suborder of this is “songbird” and finally the family is “thrush”.
  • The family is followed by a further subdivision into the genus. In this case, the genus is called “true thrush”. Last but not least, the species is subdivided. And this is where the “blackbird” comes into play. Incidentally, another name for the blackbird is the blackbird thrush.
  • In summary, the blackbird is a bird species that belongs to the thrush family. Similar to the raven and crow, which both belong to the corvid family but are different species.
  • Of course, the blackbird is not the only bird species in the thrush family. There are 172 species of thrush in total.

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