The Yellow-headed Blackbird can be found in cattail marshes in North America, mainly west of the Great Lakes. The adult male is mainly black with a yellow head and breast, while the female is mainly brown with a dull yellow throat and breast.
Yellow-headed Blackbirds forage in marshes and catch insects in flight. They mainly eat seeds and insects. Outside of the nesting period you can see them feeding in flocks, often with other blackbirds.
The Yellow-headed Blackbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and was last assessed in 2012 by BirdLife International. This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be increasing, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr) of the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Yellow-headed Blackbird nests are open cups built using reeds and grasses. These are attached to living or dead tall... Read more »
One of the latest additions to Birdorable is the Yellow-headed Blackbird. This striking 8.5-inch blackbird is unmistakable with its yellow head and breast. You can find it across North America and especially in freshwater cattail marshes west of the Great... Read more »
