Yellow-headed Blackbird

The Yellow-headed Blackbird is one of the most striking marsh birds of the western and central United States, its glossy black body topped by a brilliant golden-yellow head and breast in adult males, a color combination unmatched by any other North American blackbird. Females and immatures are considerably duller, showing brownish plumage with a subdued yellow wash on the face and breast.

The species nests colonially in dense marsh vegetation over open water, often alongside Red-winged Blackbirds, and males defend their territories with a memorably harsh, unmusical song that has been compared to a rusty gate hinge.

Key field marks

• Adult male: glossy black body with a bright yellow head and breast, and a white patch on the wing visible in flight
• Female: duller brown overall with a dull yellow face and breast, no white wing patch
• Heavy, pointed bill
• Colonial nesting in marsh vegetation over water

Similar species

No other North American blackbird combines an all-yellow head with a black body; male Yellow-headed Blackbird is essentially unmistakable. Female Red-winged Blackbird is heavily streaked brown without any yellow head coloration, distinguishing it readily from the duller female Yellow-headed Blackbird.

Habitat

Yellow-headed Blackbirds require freshwater marshes with tall emergent vegetation such as cattails and bulrushes growing over relatively deep, open water for breeding.

Range

The species breeds across the western and central United States and southern Canada, from the Great Plains west to the Pacific states and north into the Prairie Provinces. It winters primarily in Mexico and the southwestern United States.

Migration

Yellow-headed Blackbirds are medium-distance migrants, moving in large flocks between breeding marshes and wintering grounds in agricultural areas and marshes farther south, often mixing with other blackbird species in winter flocks.

Behavior

Yellow-headed Blackbirds nest colonially, often in large, dense colonies over open marsh water, with males aggressively defending small territories against rivals including the sometimes co-occurring Red-winged Blackbird. Diet shifts from mainly insects during the breeding season to seeds and grain during migration and winter.

Voice

The song is a harsh, unmusical series of grating, creaking notes, often likened to a rusty hinge or door, quite unlike the more melodic songs of many other blackbirds.

Nesting

Nests are woven baskets of wet vegetation lashed to standing cattails or bulrushes over water, built by the female. Clutches typically contain 3-5 eggs, and males are often polygynous, mating with multiple females within a colony.