Species

Yellow-headed blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

A western marsh blackbird with a bright yellow head, a rare visitor among Georgia's winter blackbird flocks.

Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 21 to 26 cm long
Weight: About 45 to 100 g
Habitat: Marshes, fields and feedlots
Diet: Seeds, grain and insects
In Georgia: A rare migrant and winter visitor
Voice: A harsh, rasping song
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Male black with a bright yellow head and breast and white wing patches; female brown with a yellow throat
Told apart from: Red-winged blackbird, whose male has red shoulders
Where to look: Among flocks of other blackbirds in fields

Behaviour

Yellow-headed blackbirds nest in deep-water marshes in the West and winter in flocks in fields and feedlots.

Why they matter

These blackbirds depend on prairie marshes, and their occasional visits to Georgia are a reminder of the vast winter blackbird flocks that move across the continent.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A woven cup attached to reeds over water
Eggs — Usually three to five
Incubation — About 11 to 13 days
Chicks — Fed mostly by the female
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Mixed blackbird flocks in fields are best left undisturbed.

Misconceptions

All blackbirds are the same. The yellow-headed blackbird stands out in any flock.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Rare	Rare	Rare	Nesting in western marshes	Nesting	Nesting	Young fledging	Flocks forming	Migrating	Rare in Georgia	Rare	Rare

Where it lives

Recorded in 52 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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