Birdwatch: Britain's dry springs put beloved blackbird under threat

Species already threatened by Usutu virus finding it difficult to extract worms from sun-hardened soilFew, if any, British garden birds are as well-known or well-loved as the blackbird. Yet a combination of warmer, drier springs and a mosquito-borne disease in the UK - both the result of the climate crisis - have put this member of the thrush family under threat.Like many other common and familiar species, blackbirds evolved in woods and forests but then learned to take advantage of the plentiful food and suitable nesting sites in urban, suburban and rural gardens. They often feed on lawns, using their powerful bill to probe for earthworms and other invertebrates beneath the surface of the soil. Continue reading...