Yellow Headed Blackbirds Take Flight in Wisconsin
By: Dave Zeug
One of the harbingers of spring is the return of the red-winged blackbirds. A much less common spring sighting, at least east of the Mississippi River, is the yellow-headed blackbird. In fact because they’re so uncommon, they’re listed as a species of special concern in Wisconsin. Residents of western Wisconsin are fortunate to have a small population of these colorful, but rarely seen birds nesting in some of the lake’s cattail marshes.
A male yellow headed blackbird among the reeds in the Wisconsin marsh.
Although both species are mostly black, the yellow-headed blackbirds are bit bigger and more aggressive in protecting their nesting sites from the more common red-winged blackbirds. They also have a white wing patch that’s only visible when they’re in flight. Both species have a similar course call that has been compared by some to a rusty farm gate.
Wisconsin is the eastern most state in the country where these birds have been found in any way other than a random visitor, in fact Lake Michigan is the informal boundary line for their eastern migrations. They’re much more likely to be seen in western states and Canadian provinces near prairie wetlands. The male yellow-headed blackbirds will defend a small area of prime nesting reeds and may attract up to eight females to the location. That’s what I observed on a spring morning not long ago.
Although I didn’t get close enough to the nesting site to actually see it, the male was obviously guarding it by his aggressive action when red-winged blackbirds came too close. Yellow-headed blackbirds are more selective in their nesting sites than there red-winged relatives also. They need to be closer to the water, preferring to be 12-inches or less from the water line, a habit that can cause them to abandon preferred nesting areas during periods of high water.
A yellow-headed blackbird guarding it’s nest from the more common red-winged blackbirds.
In the winter these birds migrate to southwestern United States and Mexico. Southern California and southern Arizona are the only regions of the country where these birds are permanent residents. When migrating, males and females travel separately. Males normally arrive to the breeding marshes several weeks ahead of the females, but the females choose the breeding sites based on the reproductive success they had on the site the year before. Raptors occasionally prey on yellow-headed blackbird flocks, in fact last year in Mexico there was a report of yellow-headed blackbirds seen dropping dead in the early morning. Experts said the most likely cause was due to being flushed from above after a predatory bird chasing them, which caused some of them to fly into each other and crash into the ground and nearby buildings.
This immature bald eagle has been known to prey on the yellow headed blackbirds.
While the nationwide population of yellow-headed blackbirds is doing well, studies have shown a steep decline in Wisconsin and Illinois, two of the states east of the Mississippi with a small population. Habitat destruction and pesticide use are the primary culprits, but another unusual habit of the species is also in play. Juvenile birds are not immigrating to isolated locations in their breeding range like areas of Wisconsin and Illinois with the preferred cattail habitat.
Yellow-headed blackbirds aren’t particularly selective in what they’re willing to eat. They been found to feed on a variety of seeds and insects, especially aquatic type of insects like dragonflies and damselflies.
A canoe or kayak trip around marshy areas with cattails may give you the opportunity of see one of these relatively rare visitors, but please keep an appropriate distance or bring a camera with a telephoto lens. After all, we’d like them to keep calling the area home.
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