[Length 9 in. Wingspan 14 in.]

This male Rusty Blackbird was photographed at Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=630mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: January 15, 2009)

[Length 9 in. Wingspan 14 in.]

This female Rusty Blackbird was photographed at Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=630mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: January 15, 2009)

[Length 9 in. Wingspan 14 in.]

Rusty Blackbirds get their name from their winter plumage, which has rich, dark rusty tones. This male Rusty Blackbird molting into its "rusty" winter plumage was photographed at Great Swamp NWR, New Jersey, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: November 1980)

[Length 8.75 in. Wingspan 14 in.]

This male Tricolored Blackbird was photographed at Lake Isabella, California, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: July 4, 2013)

[Length 8.75 in. Wingspan 14 in.]

This female Tricolored Blackbird was photographed at Lake Isabella, California, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: July 4, 2013)

[Length 8.75 in. Wingspan 14 in.]

This male Tricolored Blackbird was photographed at Lake Isabella, California, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: July 4, 2013)

[Length 9.5 in. Wingspan 15 in.]

Imagine a black bird whose head has been dipped in bright golden-yellow paint. What you will see in your mind's eye is the Yellow-headed Blackbird. This brightly-colored bird, a cousin of the more widespread Red-winged Blackbird, is found in the prairie marshes and lakes of the central and western US and southern Canada. When the male Yellow-headed Blackbird serenades his mate during the breeding season he puts on a show equal to his flashy plumage. He leans forward on his perch, puffs up his feathers and spreads his wings to expose white patches of feathers on his shoulders. But, his "song" is little more than a series of loud, noisy, "squeaky hinge" notes accompanied by a few croaks and buzzes. Sadly, the bird's voice does not match his beautiful plumage! This male was photographed at Audubon NWR in North Dakota, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: June 1991)

[Length 9.5 in. Wingspan 15 in.]

This male Yellow-headed Blackbird was photographed at Quivira NWR, Kansas, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens + Nikkor TC20E II 2.0x Teleconverter (EFL=900mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: May 1, 2007)