On the 4th day of Christmas my true love sent to me... Four Colly Birds Although many of us are used to singing about four ‘calling birds’, the song originally referred to ‘colly birds’. ‘Colly’ is an old word for black, and so the lover’s gift is in fact four black birds. With its beautiful song, this familiar garden bird is one of the nation’s favourites and consistently ranks in the top five birds in our annual Big Garden Birdwatch. #12BirdsofChristmas #12DaysofChristmas #BlackBird #4CollyBirds #ChristmasCarols #BirdsofInstagram #birds