Eurasian blackbird
manu pango · Turdus merula
Commonly seen in gardens, at bush edges and in the leaf litter under trees.
Story
Released from the 1860s because English settlers missed its song. It spread so well that it was the most widely recorded bird in the 1999–2004 national bird atlas.
Behaviour
Runs across lawns and leaf litter, pausing to 'listen' for worms. Males sing from high perches, mostly at dawn and dusk from July to January, and chase off rivals, even tūī.