Yellow-Headed Blackbird
(Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)

With tail feathers fanned out and wings spread to appear conspicuous as possible, a male Yellow-headed Blackbird announces his marsh territory at first light.

Facts: In spring, visiting a Yellow-headed Blackbird colony in a marsh or slough is an exciting experience. The surrounding water provides safety but often limits the nesting habitat; crowding is thus inevitable. Some males are always in display flight, with head stooped, feet and tail drooped, wings beating in a slow, accentuated way. Some quarrel with neighbors over boundaries while others fly out to feed. Approaching predators are mobbed by clouds of Yellow-headed Blackbirds and neighboring Red-wings, which nest in the drier stands of cattails.

Robin-sized (8-11" or 20-28 cm). The male ismuch larger than female. The male is bright yellow on head, neck and upper breast, blackish elsewhere, with conspicuous white markings on wings. The female is duller and lighter; yellow on chest, throat, and face; no white wing marks.