Birds of Quivira – Xanthocephalus

Yellow-headed Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird

Found rarely in Missouri, the Yellow-headed Blackbird was a real treat for Steve and me to find in Kansas.  I had seen one or two during our trip out west last September, but not in the numbers we were to experience this spring at Quivira.

Yellow-headed Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird

Their habitat preferences, habits and behaviors seemed to me to be quite similar to the more familiar to the easterner – Red-winged Blackbird.  Most will not agree, but I found the song of this species to be preferable to the Red-winged.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds
Yellow-headed Blackbirds

We found a couple flocks that were surprisingly large.  Containing a goodly number of Brown-headed Cowbirds, we watched these flocks roll across the wetlands as the clouds rolled with the winds across the big skies of Kansas.

Yellow-headed Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird

Thanks for looking.

OZB
email: handsomeozarkbillyboy@gmail.com

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