Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Bonaparte, 1826)

63 gWeight

The yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) is a medium-sized blackbird with a yellow head.

Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

Yellow-headed Blackbird has been recorded at 493 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 8 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Sweetwater WetlandsUnited States9,800 records
  2. Howard Marsh MetroparkUnited States5,578 records
  3. Malheur NWR – HeadquartersUnited States5,369 records
More places
  1. Sierra Vista EOPUnited States4,664 records
  2. Frank Lake – NW lookout/blind/outflowCanada4,474 records
  3. Willcox – Lake Cochise and Twin Lakes Golf CourseUnited States4,329 records
  4. Bear River MBR – Auto Tour LoopUnited States3,891 records
  5. Henderson Bird Viewing PreserveUnited States3,841 records
  6. Farmington Bay WMAUnited States3,257 records
  7. Whitewater Draw Wildlife AreaUnited States3,234 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United StatesCanadaMexicoBelizeBahamasUnited KingdomCosta RicaCayman Islands

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) is a medium-sized blackbird with a yellow head.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Yellow-headed Blackbird?

The Yellow-headed Blackbird weighs around 63 g.

Where does the Yellow-headed Blackbird live?

Its breeding range: North America, Middle America: southwestern, south-central Canada to southwestern USA and northwestern Mexico. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Mexico.

When is the best time to see the Yellow-headed Blackbird?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Yellow-headed Blackbird endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Yellow-headed Blackbird as Least Concern.

What does the Yellow-headed Blackbird eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Yellow-headed Blackbird in?

It belongs to the family Oropendolas, New World Orioles, Blackbirds (Icteridae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Weight
63 g
Habitat
Wetland
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Partial migrant
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
129 mm
Tail
102 mm
Bill
22 mm
Tarsus
33 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America, Middle America: southwestern, south-central Canada to southwestern USA and northwestern Mexico

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Genus
Xanthocephalus

More from the family Oropendolas, New World Orioles, Blackbirds

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Yellow-headed Blackbird

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by jim22lawrence. ↗

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