Minnesota Seasons - Yellow-headed Blackbird

Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy

Conservation Status

Photo by Lynn Rubey

IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

NatureServe

N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding

SNRB - Unranked Breeding

Minnesota

not listed

Species in Greatest Conservation Need


	Description


	Size
	8″ to 11″ in length 15″ wingspan

	Voice



	Similar Species



	Habitat
	Cattail marshes, sloughs


	Ecology
	Migration
	Early April to mid-May and mid-August to mid-November

	Nesting


	Food


	Distribution
	Occurrence
	Common migrant and breeder

	Maps
	The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map


	Taxonomy
	Class	Aves (birds)
	Order	Passeriformes (perching birds)
	Family	Icteridae (New World blackbirds and orioles)
	Genus	Xanthocephalus (yellow-headed blackbirds)

	Subordinate Taxa


	Synonyms


Visitor Photos

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Lynn Rubey

A female Yellow-Headed Blackbird in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge foraging where a thicket was cut out to help restore the refuge to native plants that they were crowding out.

A femal Yellow-Headed Blackbird Side view foraging in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge.

A Yellow-headed Blackbird in flight landing on a reed in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge. The white wing patch is sometimes only visible during flight, in this photo you can clearly see it on one wing.

They were both in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge. I took a hike down one of the gated roads in the refuge, the females seem to favor the middle of the reeds and closer to the ground, this is even slid down the reeds to the ground.
	Male Yellow-headed Blackbird

	Female Yellow-headed Blackbird.


Dan W. Andree

Yellow-headed Blackbird It was a rather cool and overcast day when I noticed this Yellow-headed Blackbird perched in some reeds at a pond in rural Norman co. Mn… Seemed to make the day a little brighter.


Bill Reynolds





MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

Camera


	Slideshows


	Yellow-headed Blackbird Allen Chartier




	Yellow-headed Blackbird Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren




	Yellow-headed Blackbird JMC Nature Photos

slideshow


	Visitor Videos

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	Other Videos


	Yellow-headed Blackbird in Yellowstone National Park screenshot

	About Uploaded on Jan 27, 2011 The Yellow-headed Blackbird (xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) is a North American bird and forages in the marsh, in fields or on the ground; they sometimes catch insects in flight. They mainly eat seeds and insects. Their main method of foraging is to push their bill into the ground or a food item and then force their bill, as well as the substrate, open. Outside of the nesting period, they often feed in flocks, often with other blackbirds. This bird's song resembles the grating of a rusty hinge. During the summer, this bird migrates north to the west-central portions of Canada and the United States. During the winter, it can be found from California to Texas as well as in Mexico and casually in Costa Rica. tordo cabeciamarill, Carouge à tête jaune, Gulhodetrupial Xanthocephalus is een geslacht van zangvogels uit de familie troepialen (Icteridae). Broadcast format available at: http://www.stockshot.nl/



	Calls of the Yellow-headed Blackbird Wandering Sole TV

	About Published on May 14, 2012 Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus A male yellow-headed blackbird singing at Elizabeth Lake, British Columbia. The longer clip shows in the background how much bird activity there is at the lake. It is a special place to view birds and other wildlife. The call of the yellow-headed blackbird has been described as sounding like the grating of a rusty hinge!



	Yellow-headed Blackbird (Icteridae: Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) Male Carl Barrentine

	About Uploaded on Jun 29, 2009 Photographed at Turtle River State Park, North Dakota (26 June 2009).



	Yellow-headed Blackbird (Icteridae: Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) Singing Male Carl Barrentine

	About Published on May 4, 2012 Photographed at the Kellys Slough NWR, North Dakota (04 May 2012).



	Yellow-headed Blackbird Dan Sorochan

	About Uploaded on Jun 21, 2010 Canon 7D, EF500mm

Camcorder


Visitor Sightings

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Wendy Johnson 4/23/2023	Location: Elba, Nebraska these are noisy birds



Richard Sherry 5/31/2021	Location: Pelican lake. Breezy Point Minnesota Multiple birds along the lake shore. Really nice to see again.



Krista 5/17/2021	Location: Grand Marais Harbor, Cook County Minnesota



Lynn Rubey 6/11/2019	Location: Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge A female Yellow-Headed Blackbird in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge foraging where a thicket was cut out to help restore the refuge to native plants that they were crowding out.



Lynn Rubey 6/10/2019	Location: Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge A Yellow-headed Blackbird in flight landing on a reed in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge. The white wing patch is sometimes only visible during flight, in this photo you can clearly see it on one wing.



Lynn Rubey 5/22/2019	Location: Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge !. Male Yellow-headed Blackbird 2. Female Yellow-headed Blackbird. They were both in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge I took a hike down one of the gated roads in the refuge, the females seem to favor the middle of the reeds and closer to the ground, this is even slid down the reeds to the ground.



Dan W. Andree 5/1/2018	Location: rural Norman co. Mn It was a rather cool and overcast day when I noticed this Yellow-headed Blackbird perched in some reeds at a pond in rural Norman co. Mn… Seemed to make the day a little brighter.



Bill Reynolds 3/21/2014	Location: This image was taken just outside the boundaries of the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, Marshall Co. MN He was a bit too far off for my lens that day and the was too much water between to get any closer.



MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

Hamden Slough National WildlifeRefuge Lundblad Prairie SNA Mound Spring Prairie SNA, North Unit Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve