Yr Aderyn Du. Ceilog Mwyalch, of the ancient British.
With great enthusiasm, people brought this bird to New Zealand. Mainly from England, 1862-1875.
In 1865 Lady Barker wrote:
Ill as I was, I remember being roused to something like a flicker of animation, when I was shown an exceedingly seedy and shabby looking blackbird with a broken leg in splints, which its master assured me he had bought in Melbourne as a great bargain for only two pounds, 10 shillings.
It is now our most widely distributed bird, occupying 93% of the country.
Living close to the ground, manu pango are easily found by some predators.
Yet they have flourished. This is because pairs quickly replace nests & eggs. Pairs can nest up to five times each year, so raising two or three successful broods.
Also, a blackbird can ‘fright moult’ – escaping & leaving only their tail feathers in a cat’s mouth!
In this way, the descendants of the first one thousand birds, have made themselves very-much at home in our country!!
Story from the book that comes with the game.
In Cloak of Protection blackbird is eaten by ship rat, cat & kahu/harrier.m>