Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

We are lucky to see Yellow-headed Blackbirds in and around our area, as they prefer the warmer, more desert sides of Oregon and Washington for their breeding grounds. They breed north into Prairie and mountain meadow wetlands of western and central U.S. and Canada but a few, enjoy what the refuge has to offer and will breed here. They mostly winter in Mexico and the southern parts of NM, TX and AZ.

Living up to their names, Yellow-headed Blackbirds have yellow heads and chests, and black bodies. Males are brightly colored, with visible white patches on the front of their wings, and black around their eyes. Females can be duller, with a small mottled amount of yellow on their faces. Juveniles are even more dull, but with bigger yellow patches that can vary in color as they age.

You can usually catch Yellow-headed Blackbirds in among the Red-winged blackbirds, calling from the tops of cattails and grasses in marshes and wetlands. Like Red-winged Blackbirds, males defend a territory with up to 8 females, though in some cases, the female will defend a smaller area around her nest and then mate outside of the male’s larger area. Females build their nests alone, weaving wet vegetation onto thicker stems above the water, building onto that, they create the interesting nests we find attached to marsh grasses at the end of the season.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds often displace smaller Red-winged Blackbirds and Marsh Wrens from prime nesting spots in a marsh. But with nest predators like Common Grackles, American Bitterns, American Coot, Marsh Wrens, rails, garter snakes, mink, raccoons, deer mice, and striped skunks, they are kept in check, so they don’t wipe out the smaller birds.

During breeding season the Yellow-headed Blackbirds specialize in “aquatic” prey; feeding aquatic insects to nestlings. They will scoop insects from the surface of the water as they fly. They consume primarily cultivated grains and weed seeds during the post-breeding season. They can use their beak to probe into soft ground, and then spread their bills to open up leaf sheaths or enlarge holes. After establishing a foraging site, a flock will return to the same area repeatedly for several days.

Though they are striking in appearance, Yellow-headed Blackbirds spend a substantial time perched out of view in cattails or reeds, so listen for their harsh check calls and bizarre grinding, buzzing songs in order to pinpoint their location. When searching in farm fields, look for large concentrations of blackbirds and then scan them carefully. If the bulk of the birds are Red-winged Blackbirds or some other species, don’t despair—focus on finding a white wing patch or yellow head among the other birds.

Did you know? Because Yellow-headed Blackbirds always build their nests over the water, nestlings sometimes fall in and have to swim short distances to vegetation.