Yellow-headed Blackbird

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Guadalajara

In 3 days ~10%

30 Verified sightings at Guadalajara
2,217 In all 22 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Yellow-headed Blackbird

The yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) is a medium-sized blackbird with a yellow head. It is the only member of the genus Xanthocephalus. Their scientific name derives from the Greek word for yellow, xanthous, and the word for head, cephalus.

Yellow-headed blackbirds are relatively large blackbirds with large, yellow heads. They measure 8.3–10.2 in (21–26 cm) in length, with a wingspan of 16.5–17.3 in (42–44 cm) and a weight of 1.6–3.5 oz (44–100 g). Adults have a pointed bill. The adult male is mainly black with a yellow head and breast; they have a white wing patch sometimes only visible in flight. The adult female is mainly brown with a dull yellow throat and breast. Immature members of both sexes are brown with duller yellow plumage compared to adult males. Immature males also have some white patches on the wing. Both sexes resemble the respective sexes of the smaller yellow-hooded blackbird of South America.

These birds migrate in the winter to the southwestern United States and Mexico. They often migrate in huge flocks with other species of birds. The only regions of the United... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:42

United States · 2023

© Richard E. Webster · XC900786 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:26

United States · 1990

© Peter Ward and Ken Hall · XC598460 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:53

United States · 2020

© Steve Hampton · XC580704 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
8 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 Padre Island National Seashore 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
11 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
12 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
14 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
15 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
16 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
17 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
18 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
19 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
20 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
21 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ciudad Juárez 🇲🇽 México
~20%
2 León 🇲🇽 México
~10%
3 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Torreón 🇲🇽 México
~10%
5 Las Vegas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
7 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
<5%
9 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-headed Blackbird in Guadalajara?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-headed Blackbird sighting in Guadalajara on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 121st most-seen of the 184 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Yellow-headed Blackbird in Guadalajara?

February

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-headed Blackbird in Guadalajara on a given day, against under 5% in March to January, the lowest months. That is one of Guadalajara's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 210 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Yellow-headed Blackbird?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-headed Blackbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Guadalajara the best place to see a Yellow-headed Blackbird?

8th of 28

Of the 28 cities where we can rate Yellow-headed Blackbird sightings, Guadalajara ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Ciudad Juárez (México, about 20%), León (México, about 10%) and Calgary (Canada, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Yellow-headed Blackbird live in Guadalajara?

Same family: Icteridae

The closest relatives of the Yellow-headed Blackbird that you can see in Guadalajara (family Icteridae, New World Blackbirds and Orioles) are Great-tailed Grackle (about 80%), Streak-backed Oriole (about 30%) and Bronzed Cowbird (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Yellow-headed Blackbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Yellow-headed Blackbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Guadalajara (30 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Guadalajara