Yellow-Headed Blackbirds

YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS

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The Yellow-Headed Blackbird is undoubtedly has declined in some areas with draining of marshes; however, still widespread and very common but only on the western half of Missouri. It is a member of the Blackbirds and Orioles family. Its habitat is fresh marshes. Forages in fields, open country. Breeds in freshwater sloughs, marshy lake borders, tall cattails growing in water up to 3-4' deep. Forages around marshes and also common in open pastures, plowed fields, cattle pens, feedlots.

The male Yellow-headed Blackbird is impressive to see, but not to hear: it may have the worst song of any North American bird, a hoarse, harsh scraping. Yellow-heads nest in noisy colonies in big cattail marshes of the west and midwest; when not nesting, they gather in flocks in open fields, often with other blackbirds. At some favored points in the southwest in winter, they may be seen in flocks of thousands. 

Forages mostly by walking on the ground in open fields or near the water's edge; also forages low in marsh vegetation. Sometimes catches insects in flight. May follow farm machinery in fields to feed on insects and grubs turned up by the plow. Except in nesting season, usually forages in flocks, often associated with other blackbirds

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Mostly insects and seeds. Feeds heavily on insects in summer, especially beetles, caterpillars, and grasshoppers, also ants, wasps, and others, plus a few spiders and snails. Young are fed mostly insects. Probably two-thirds of the diet consists of seeds, including grass and weed seeds plus waste grain.

Typically nests in colonies in marshes, each male selecting territory within the colony and defending it against rivals by singing. One male may have as many as 5 mates. Nest placed in the marsh, firmly lashed to standing vegetation (cattails, bulrushes, reeds) growing in water, usually no more than 3' above water's surface. Nest (built by female) is a bulky, deep cup woven of aquatic plants, lined with dry grass or with fine, dry marsh plants.   

It lays between 3-5 eggs.  Both parents feed nestlings which leave the nest after 9-12 days and are ready to fly in about 3 weeks in the meantime the nestlings remain among dense marsh plants. ^{(Audubon Field Guide)}