Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.

Sing a song of sixpence,

A pocket full of rye.

Four and twenty blackbirds

Baked in a pie.

The meaning of this famous, 300-year-old English nursery rhyme has been interpreted and reinterpreted, but there’s one certainty: the species of bird the writer(s) had in mind is the common blackbird or, as we in North America sometimes call it, the Eurasian blackbird. These attractive thrushes appear in a great many English writings, artworks, and songs (its call features in The Beatles song “Blackbird”). Although Americans like myself often envision “our” blackbirds when we come across these cultural references, we’re way off the mark. Old World blackbirds aren’t closely related to New World blackbirds (which belong to the family Icteridae); in fact, when searching for North American parallels to the common blackbird, the American robin and the varied thrush (the species I featured last week) are your best bets – they’re close relatives!

The robin comparison is an especially useful one because the common blackbird’s contemporary habits and habitat are a lot like those of its American cousin…even if one is “black as coal” and the other is famous for it’s “red breast.” Both birds are highly adaptable, thriving in their original woodland habitats, but also in city parks and backyard gardens. Towns and villages are especially appealing, as low-density human settlement with plentiful shrubbery and open space makes for happy blackbirds. Robins and blackbirds both have a special hankering for earthworms and fruits, but whereas the robin primarily feeds on fruit during the winter months, the common blackbird prioritizes invertebrate consumption year round.

Because it does well living in human-altered environments, the common blackbird population is robust – even growing – over most of its range throughout Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. Unfortunately, in parts of the world where the species has been introduced by man, its adaptability has made it a pest; it’s classified as an invasive species in Australia and New Zealand.

Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).

Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.