Yellow-headed blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) can generally be found in the West and Midwest, where they often nest in the same marshes and wetlands as the red-winged blackbirds. In the Northeast, we have many, many more red-winged blackbirds, and get an occasional visiting yellow-headed blackbird. I was finally able to film a female yellow-headed blackbird at Sunset Cove Park in Queens, New York, on May 13, 2024. While the male has a fully yellow head, the female has yellow on the lower half of her head and the upper part of her breast.
Female yellow-headed blackbird, Sunset Cove Park, Queens, May 13, 2024
Yelllow-headed blackbirds are ground foragers who eat insects, and in this video you can see her searching for food and preening. At one point while we were watching her, she flew to a wooden fence and was singing (unfortunately, not heard on this video). The music is by Edvard Grieg, Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Op. 4 (Bird Song, To the Spring, Butterfly) and Lyric Pieces, Op. 38 (Dance). The music is performed by Papalin, and was obtained from MusOpen.org, a royalty-free music soource.
