FID in Blackbirds Turdus merula

Here, we present the results of the long-term longitudinal study on FID in an urban population of the European Blackbird <i>Turdus merula</i>. The FID was strongly repeatable within individuals, suggesting that individual identity (or personality) is among the most important factors explaining escape behaviour in urban Blackbirds. Adult birds had higher FID than fledglings and adult FID increased with age, reflecting a combination of within- and between-individual effects. Adult males were bolder (had lower FID) than females. Adult FID also increased over the course of the season, with lowest FID during parental feeding and highest FID in the post-reproductive period.