At the beginning of the 21st Century monsters still roam the remote, and sometimes not so remote, corners of our planet. It is our job to search for them. The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is - we believe - the largest professional, scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals. Since 1992 the CFZ has carried out an unparalleled programme of research and investigation all over the world. Since 2009 we have been running the increasingly popular CFZ Blog Network, and although there has been an American branch of the CFZ for over ten years now, it is only now that it has a dedicated blog.

Wednesday 20 December 2017

WHAT IS A COLLEY BIRD?

In the song The 12 Days of Christmas we find reference to colley birds (or, in a variant, calling birds).  But what is a colley bird?

The answer is simple.  It is the blackbird (Turdus merula).  This bird should not be confused with the blackbird found in America, which belongs to the Icteridae family.

The blackbird of this article is also called the merle and the ouzel.  It is the national bird of Sweden.

Less well-known names for this bird are the woofell, chacket and drostal.




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