[Length 9.5 in. Wingspan 15 in.]

This Yellow-headed Blackbirds was photographed at at the Visitor Center feeders at Malheur NWR, Burns, Oregon. 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: May 03, 2025)

[Length 9.5 in. Wingspan 15 in.]

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 Valentine NWR in Nebraska, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm f4.5 ED lens on Ektachrome 400 film pushed to 800. (Date: May 1986)

[Length 9.5 in. Wingspan 15 in.]

This male Yellow-headed Blackbird was photographed at Arapaho NWR in Walden, Colorado, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 1992)

[Length 9.5 in. Wingspan 15 in.]

This female Yellow-headed Blackbird was photographed at Arapaho NWR in Walden, Colorado, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 1992)

[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 7 in. Wingspan 11.5 in.]

This male Bobolink was photographed at Sax-Zim Bog, Meadowlands, Minnesota. 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: June 10, 2018)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 11.5 in.]

Female, immature, and Fall/Winter male Bobolinks are buffy overall with dark streaks and stripes on the head and wings, and often cause identification problems when encountered alone. This Bobolink was photographed in the fall at Brigantine NWR, New Jersey, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: December 1982)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 11.5 in.]

Bobolinks breed in grasslands and meadows throughout the northern US and into southern Canada. They get their name from the male's bubbly, gurgling "BOB-O-LINK" call. In migration, Bobolinks are often heard before they are seen, giving a series of "PINK" or "PLINK" flight calls as they fly overhead. The male in breeding plumage is unmistakable. He is black below, on the head, and the wings, with a bright buffy nape and stark white shoulders and rump. Females, immatures, and Fall/Winter males are buffy overall with dark streaks and stripes on the head and wings, and often cause identification problems when encountered alone. This male Bobolink was photographed at a Wildlife Management Area in central New Jersey, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: May 1980)