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Blackbird
Folklore, Meaning
& Hand-Drawn British Bird Art
By Lotti Brown
Explore blackbird folklore, meaning and symbolism along with my hand-drawn blackbird art illustration – one of our most beloved garden birds, rich in folklore and song…
The blackbird is a striking and familiar presence in our gardens - glossy black feathers, a bright yellow beak, and a beautiful voice that feels woven into the rhythm of our days...
Blackbird and Primroses - hand-drawn art by Lotti BrownI love walking home in summer just as the sun begins to sink, listening to blackbirds perched on rooftops, hedges, and chimneys, singing the day gently to a close. I call it the twilight tweeting - one of those small, perfect moments when the world feels briefly in harmony, held together by birdsong.
Perhaps because of this, the blackbird has long been more than just a garden bird. Across folklore, myth, and story, it has been seen as a keeper of song, weather, magic, and ancient wisdom - a bird that moves easily between worlds...
Meet the Blackbird
Blackbird illustration (detail) by Lotti BrownBlackbird Names, History & Old Folk Names
It’s fairly easy to understand how the blackbird got its name, being a bird that’s strikingly black. It wasn’t always known as the blackbird though…
In Anglo-Saxon times, the blackbird was known as the ‘ouzel’ and it wasn’t until medieval times that the name ‘blackbird’ was also known.
The blackbird was also known as a ‘merle’ or a ‘colley/colly’ (thought to relate to the black colour like coal, similar to the colley/collie dog). We even can recognise this in the older versions of the Twelve Days of Christmas carol – ‘four colley birds’ – developing into ‘four calling birds’, which could also be seen as being blackbirds for their birdsong.
By the late 19th century, ‘blackbird’ was the dominant name for this bird.
In Gaelic, the blackbird is known as ‘Druid Dhubh’ meaning ‘Black Druid’. This name alone hints at the reverence once held for this bird - not just as a singer, but as a bearer of deep, old knowledge.
There are also plenty of common names for the blackbird, reflecting how this was a bird that was known and important to ordinary folk.
- Black ouzel
- Black uzzle
- Ousel, Ousel cock
- Garden Ousel
- Merle
- Ansel
- Woofell, Woosell, Woodsell,
- Colly/Colley
- Black bride
- Blackie
- Blackbird-smith
Blackbird Weather Lore & Seasonal Song
Springtime Blackbird art printThere is plenty of folklore about blackbirds foretelling a change to the weather with their song…
“When the blackbird sings before Christmas, she will cry before Candlemas.”
In Brescia, Italy, the 3 days running up to Candlemas (2nd February) are known as ‘i giorni della merla’ (the blackbird’s days). This is because it’s said that these days were once so very cold that the poor blackbird had to hide in a chimney for warmth, which turned her white feathers soot black.
“When the blackbird sings loud and shrill, rain is sure to follow,”
(Ireland).
It’s well known that blackbirds love the rain as the drumming of the raindrops on the earth brings the earthworms to the surface so they have plenty to eat. They do seem to sing more sweetly and clearly when there is rain about.
Blackbirds have also learned to do ‘rain dances’, paddling on the earth with their feet to simulate the drumming of rain so that the earthworms come to the surface.
In Germany, it was believed that the blackbird could protect a home against lightning – and the blackbird was known as ‘Gottling’ meaning ‘little god’.
These weather sayings and lore feel like reminders of a time when people listened carefully to nature - not just to the sky and the changing weather patterns, but to the birds who shared their lives so closely.
The Colour-Changing Blackbird
In the Ancient World, the writings of both Aristotle and Pliny tell us that the blackbird changed with the season, from black to russet.
It’s likely that there was confusion over the female blackbird, which is a brown colour rather than the jet black of the male, or a young blackbird, which has much lighter colouring - or perhaps Redwings, cousins of the blackbird with a russet colour and red underwing, were seen replacing the blackbirds in winter.
In some folklore tales, just like the ‘blackbird days’ of Brescia above, the blackbird is seen to change from white to black, explaining how the blackbird got his beautiful black feathers…
A French folktale tells how one day the blackbird, a snow-white bird, saw the magpie with treasure and asked her where he could acquire a treasure of his own…
The magpie told the blackbird to seek out the cavern palace of the Prince of Riches, and to offer to him his services. She tells the blackbird, “You will have to pass through many caverns, each one more abounding in riches than the last; but you must most particularly remember not to touch a single thing until you have actually seen the Prince himself.”
The blackbird seeks out the entrance to the cavern, and passes through the first chamber, lined in silver. The second chamber is glittering with gold and unable to stop himself, he plunges his beak into the glittering gold dust.
Immediately, he is set upon by a demon, breathing fire and smoke. With difficulty, the blackbird is able to fly away and escape the demon – but he has been forever turned black from the fire and smoke, with a beak changed to pure gold.
This is also why the blackbird utters such piercing cries of terror when surprised, as if expecting another demon to attack.
Like many folklore tales, this story feels less like a warning and more like an explanation - a poetic way of understanding how the blackbird came to carry both darkness and gold, fear and beauty, within the same small body.
Ancient Blackbird Folklore & Celtic Myth
Lotti Brown - hand-drawn blackbird artworkExplore the blackbird artwork here...
The Blackbird of the Blacksmith
In the Welsh folklore tale of ‘Culhwch and Olwen’, the hero Culhwch seeks wisdom from one who he believes is the oldest animal in the world, the Ousel of Cilgwri (the Blackbird of the Wirral) who perches on a tiny metal stump which was once a huge blacksmith’s anvil. It has been worn down to a stump by this ancient bird rubbing his beak on it every evening over countless years.
In Irish, ‘ghoba-dhu’ means both ‘blacksmith’ and ‘blackbird’.
Celtic Songbird of Rhiannon
In British folklore, blackbirds belong to the Celtic goddess Rhiannon, who keeps these sacred songbirds to “wake the dead and lull the living to sleep” with their song.
In the Welsh folktale of ‘Branwen, Daughter of Llyr’, Rhiannon’s blackbirds sing to Bran the Blessed and his followers as they live in a mysterious half-life of timeless enchantment for 72 years.
This shows how absolutely magical the song of the blackbird can be – and if you listen to the blackbird singing out his song in the silence of dawn and dusk, you can truly believe that the blackbird is a being from another world sent to charm us all with his song.
Blackbirds, Saints & Sacred Stories
The blackbird is a bird of Saint Kevin, who was praying in the Temple of the Rock at Glendalough when a blackbird alighted on his outstretched hand and laid her eggs into his palm.
The saint remained with his hand outstretched, cradling the precious eggs until the eggs were all hatched.
Blackbirds and People
Blackbirds have long lived closely with people. In medieval times they were kept as pets for their song.
It’s said that blackbirds could learn to speak and were taught to sing new tunes. One pet blackbird was recorded to have reached at least 20 years of age.
Although we, thankfully, don’t keep blackbirds as pets anymore, they still sometimes learn new tunes from people who they’ve heard whistling a pleasant ditty.
And in traditional blackbird folklore, it’s seen as good luck to have a blackbird nesting near your home.
In British folklore, it was said that if a blackbird is the first bird a young woman sees on Valentine’s Day, then she will marry a clergyman.
Even in the modern world, blackbirds remain close companions to human life - singing from our rooftops, nesting in our hedges, and sharing our gardens as they always have.
Blackbird art print - displayed in my Yorkshire cottageBlackbirds in Song, Rhyme & Legend
Do you know the old nursery rhyme ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’, dating from the early 18th century, but still popular today?
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing.
Wasn't that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
Blackbirds were eaten in the past, and it’s thought that live birds were sometimes added to a pie right before it was set on the table, so as to astonish guests with the amazing fare…
But there is another interpretation of this song…
It’s said that the song was a secret pirate message! At the time, freelance privateers were common, and the song has been linked with the infamous pirate, Captain Blackbeard.
The song of sixpence was the recruitment call, with sixpence being the daily wages, and the ‘pocket of rye’ a daily ration of whisky to tempt potential pirate sign-ups. The four and twenty blackbirds would be Captain Blackbeard and his pirates – they would lure a ship towards their own by pretending to be a damaged vessel, then out would pop the blackbird pirates to plunder the unlucky victims for their treasures!
Blackbird Symbolism and Meaning
Blackbird and Spring Flowers - art print by Lotti BrownIn folklore and spiritual symbolism, the blackbird is a bird of song and joy, welcoming each day with his crisp, clear song.
He’s a bird of the magical liminal half-light moments of dawn and dusk – singing to create magic for us – to wake us from our sleep and lull us back to our slumbers.
He is a bird of riches and treasure – of good fortune and protection.
He is a bird of ancient wisdom.
He is a bird of sweet summer rain which brings us joyful cool and plenty.
The blackbird feels like a bridge between worlds - between wildness and home, darkness and song, the ancient and the everyday.
He reminds us that beauty doesn’t always shout - sometimes it arrives quietly, at dusk, on a rooftop, with a song that seems to gather the whole day into itself.
Perhaps this is why the blackbird has stayed so close to us for so long - not just because of his voice, but because he teaches us how to listen.
My Blackbird Drawing
I start with a layer of Promarker colours...I layered up many different colours to try and create a beautiful and magical black for the blackbird’s feathers.
Blackbird marker illustration - building up layersI’ve drawn my blackbird in Spring, focusing on the beauty of his dark feathers and the contrast of his sunshine yellow beak – I’ve added in pretty yellow primroses to symbolise the Spring rains that so cheer the blackbird and cause him to sing his most beautiful song.
The blackbird feels like a magical bird, truly wild and from another world - so hard to capture in stillness in our gardens as he so often hops swiftly away or warbles his heart song from treetops and rooftops…
Blackbird art - hand-drawn with markers, coloured pencils and pensMy Blackbird Art Print
It felt like an honour to create this blackbird artwork, to try to represent something of this common garden bird with such a special and sacred heritage and the voice of an angel…
Blackbird eco-friendly giclee art printBlackbird (Presence, Voice, Everyday Magic)
If the blackbird has resonated with you - that rich evening song, that familiar presence close to home - this piece was created to hold onto that feeling.
It grew from those everyday moments that are easy to overlook, but carry a quiet depth and beauty when you pause to notice them.
Take a closer look at the blackbird artwork
It’s a piece that brings a sense of calm and quiet presence into a space - a small piece of everyday magic, carried home on wings.
For international (non-UK) orders, please find out how to order on my FAQs page
Where to go next...
Find out about the folklore of the wren, the songthrush, the kingfisher, the blue tit, the chaffinch and the goldfinch - and see my hand-drawn British bird illustrations for each...
I have more British animal and bird folklore tales and seasonal folklore musings from my nature journal in my Folklore Hub here...
If you like my blackbird art, you can see all my hand-drawn British bird illustrations on this page...
You might also enjoy browsing through my wildlife artworks and Celtic nature artworks...
Or exploring my nature journals and journaling section here...
I thought you might also enjoy seeing one of my earlier British bird artworks - Blackbird & Ivy - I created it using a combination of traditional and digital art techniques in 2016 - if you like it, you can browse art prints and other printed products of 'Blackbird & Ivy' in my Redbubble store here...
Shall we stay in touch..?
Each month, I share stories from my own nature journal, new art from my studio, and simple seasonal inspiration to help you feel more connected with the turning year - if you'd like to stay updated, please sign up with your email address below...
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Lotti Brown is a self-taught nature artist and nature journaling educator whose hand-drawn work is inspired by wildlife, folklore, and close observation. With 18 years in creative fields and 10 years creating nature art, she brings deep practical experience to her work. Trained by the Wild Wonder Foundation, she shares nature journaling courses and guides online. Her artwork has been licensed internationally and exhibited at Goole Museum and Bridlington Spa in the East Riding of Yorkshire, UK.
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