Overview
Yellow-headed Blackbird: Medium-sized blackbird with black body,
bright yellow hood and breast, and distinct white wing patches.
Bill, legs and feet are black. Forages in low vegetation and on
the ground. Feeds on insects, larvae, snails, seeds, and grains.
Strong direct flight on rapid wing beats.
Range
and Habitat
Yellow-headed Blackbird: Breeds from central British Columbia, northern
Alberta, and Wisconsin south to southern California, northern New
Mexico, and Illinois. Spends winters in southern U.S. and northern
Mexico. Nests in freshwater marshes; during migration and winter
prefers open, cultivated lands, fields, and pastures.
INTERESTING
FACTS
Depending on the quality of his territory, a male Yellow-headed
Blackbird may be able to acquire up to six mates. Males who acquire
new territory do not destroy broods sired by the previous territorial
male.
They
have one of the most unique bird calls. It has been described as
a strange mixture of honking, gurgling and strangling noises.
In
winter, single-species flocks may form, sometimes consisting of
all males or all females. Large foraging flocks move in a rolling
fashion, birds from the back of the flock fly over the rest to the
front.
A
group of blackbirds has many collective nouns, including a "cloud",
"cluster", and "merl" of blackbirds.
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