# Yellow-headed Blackbird

*Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus*

Their song is famously unmusical, often described as sounding like a rusty gate hinge being forced open.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Icteridae › Xanthocephalus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Freshwater marshes and wetlands with tall emergent vegetation like cattails or bulrushes.
- **Diet:** Insects, particularly aquatic larvae like dragonflies, and various seeds or grains.
- **Range:** Western North America, Great Plains, Canadian Prairies, Mexico
- **Size:** Length: 21-26 cm; Wingspan: 42-45 cm
- **Lifespan:** 5 to 12 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Wetland drainage, conversion of marshes to agriculture, and pesticide runoff reducing insect prey.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless to humans. Observe from a distance to avoid disturbing nesting sites in reed beds. If the bird dive-bombs or screeches loudly, you are too close to a nest; retreat slowly to a safe distance.

## About

The yellow-headed blackbird ( Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus ) is a medium-sized blackbird, and the only member of the genus Xanthocephalus .

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/972bb3ad-9a2c-4860-b5ce-3a7258de7e7b
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/10470
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/656302340/medium.jpg (Daughter Dad, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.