Life List 076
Visually documented
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
- First photographed
- June 24, 2026
- First location
- Utah, United States
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
An evolving study
Yellow-headed Blackbird portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
Overview
The Yellow-headed Blackbird is a colonial marsh-nesting blackbird of western and central North America. Males display from cattails with a harsh mechanical song, while large flocks forage in fields after breeding.
Identification
Adult males are black with a brilliant yellow head and chest and white wing patches. Females are brown with a dull yellow throat and breast; both sexes have a thick, pointed bill.
Range
Breeds from western Canada through the western and central United States and northern Mexico. It winters mainly in the southwestern United States and Mexico.
Habitat
Deep freshwater marshes with cattails or bulrushes for nesting; agricultural fields, feedlots, and open wetlands outside the breeding season.
Diet
Aquatic and terrestrial insects in summer, with seeds and agricultural grain forming much of the winter diet.
Photography by Brittany Templin
Bring the story of the Yellow-headed Blackbird into your project or space.
Continue exploring
Related encounters
057
Western Meadowlark
Sturnella neglecta
063
Bullock’s Oriole
Icterus bullockii
023
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus