YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
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Table Of Contents
- Description
- Behavior
- Reproduction and Life History
- Morphology
- Trophic Strategy
- Ecology and Distribution
- Distribution
- Habitat
- Conservation
- Relevance
- Uses
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- References and More Information
- Literature References
- Specialist Projects
- Common Names
Behavior
Yellow-headed Blackbirds feed by gleaning insects and seeds from plants and from the ground, and by hawking insects in the air. 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.
Yellow-headed Blackbirds are strongly territorial during the breeding season. They prefer nesting in marshes above water two to four feet deep. Their nests are usually clumped in a different part of the marsh from the Red-Winged Blackbird who prefer nesting over shallower water. Marsh Wrens (Cistothorus palustris) occasionally destroy Yellow-headed Blackbird nests, so the territorial male excludes Marsh Wrens from their nesting areas.
During fall migration, males often form flocks that are separate from the females and young. Over the winter, the Yellow-headed Blackbird forms enormous flocks with other species of birds. (Elrich et al. 1988; University of Guelph. 1998)
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