Yellow-headed blackbird

The Yellow-headed Blackbird, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, is a medium-sized icterid, the only member of genus Xanthocephalus.

Adults have a pointed bill. The adult male is mainly black with a yellow head and breast; they have a white wing patch. The adult female is mainly brown with a dull yellow throat and breast.

Their breeding habitat is marshes in North America mainly east of the Great Lakes. The nest is built with and attached to marsh vegetation.

These birds migrate to Argentina and Paraguay. They often migrate in flocks.

These birds forage in the marsh, in fields or on the ground; they sometimes catch insects in flight. They mainly eat seeds and insects. Outside of the nesting period, they often feed in flocks.

This bird's song resembles the grating of a rusty hinge.