Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)-- This handsome 9-inch blackbird is unmistakable with his bright yellow head and breast, black body and white wing patch. The female is charcoal brown and lacks the wing patch.

Yellowheads frequent freshwater marshes or reedy lakes and are often seen foraging in open farmlands and grainfields.

This blackbird's song is a series of low raspy notes that ends in a descending buzz. The call is a hoarse croak.

These birds nest in colonies. The nest is a basket woven around the marsh stalks. The female lays 3 to 5 white eggs speckled with brown.

The range of this blackbird is from central British Columbia, northern Alberta and Wisconsin south to southern California, northern New Mexico and Illinois. They winter in the Southwest and Mexico.

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Order: | Family: Emberizidae | Species: Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus