Yellow-headed blackbird

Female yellow-headed blackbird perched on a reed among golden cattails, Manitoba

The yellow-headed blackbird is a striking marsh bird. Adult males are black with a brilliant yellow head and chest and a white patch on the wing. Females, like the one pictured below, are brown, with a yellow wash on the throat and breast.

Yellow-headed blackbirds nest in colonies in deep cattail and bulrush marshes across the Prairies, often sharing wetlands with red-winged blackbirds. The males have a harsh, rasping song. Most leave Manitoba in fall to winter in the southwestern United States and Mexico.

A male yellow-headed blackbird’s vivid yellow head against a black body stands out in any marsh, and I love that.

To learn more about the yellow-headed blackbird and its habitat, visit its species page at All About Birds.

Field notes in photographs

  • Female yellow-headed blackbird perched on a reed among golden cattails, Manitoba
  • Male yellow-headed blackbird perched on a cattail, with orange-yellow head and breast and a white wing patch, Manitoba
  • Male yellow-headed blackbird with a bright yellow head perched on dry cattail stems, Manitoba
  • Male yellow-headed blackbird calling from cattails
  • Male yellow-headed blackbird peering through willow branches, Manitoba
  • Male yellow-headed blackbird perched on a weathered post, Manitoba
  • Female yellow-headed blackbird, Manitoba
  • Male yellow-headed blackbird perched in a tree, Manitoba

Yellow-headed blackbird Manitoba sightings

Where and when you can find the yellow-headed blackbird in Manitoba depends on the season and the habitat. You can see more species in the Manitoba birds section.

Map of Manitoba showing where the yellow-headed blackbird nests, with major cities and lakes
Where to look for the yellow-headed blackbird in Manitoba through the seasons: nesting in the Boreal Plains and the Prairies (gold). Habitat regions: National Ecological Framework for Canada. Boundaries: Statistics Canada. Lakes: Natural Earth.

Back to Manitoba bird photography, or see the portfolio.

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