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Yellow-headed Blackbird Sounds

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© Timothy Barksdale | Macaulay Library Missouri, May 01, 1997

Song
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Manitoba, May 20, 1959Recorded by William W. H. Gunn | Macaulay Library
Calls and song
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California, June 05, 1989Recorded by Randolph Little | Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

Males sing a few musical notes followed by a screeching buzz, rather like a heavy door swinging on a very rusty metal hinge. They sing from cattails, bulrushes, fences, shrubs, or small trees in the morning and evening during the breeding season. Females make a chattering sound that may be considered a song.

Calls

Their calls include frequent check calls used in many situations during the breeding season, screams given by alarmed females, growls given by fighting or mating males, and harsh rattles given by males when predators are about.

Compare with Similar Species

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Red-winged Blackbird Breeding male (Red-winged) is similar to Yellow-headed Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird Female (Red-winged) is similar to Yellow-headed Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Species in This Family

Troupials and Allies(Order: Passeriformes, Family:Icteridae)

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Western Meadowlark

Western Meadowlark

Eastern Meadowlark

Eastern Meadowlark

Bullock's Oriole

Bullock's Oriole

Spot-breasted Oriole

Spot-breasted Oriole

Altamira Oriole

Altamira Oriole

Audubon's Oriole

Audubon's Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Tricolored Blackbird

Tricolored Blackbird

Bronzed Cowbird

Bronzed Cowbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Rusty Blackbird

Rusty Blackbird

Brewer's Blackbird

Brewer's Blackbird

Boat-tailed Grackle

Boat-tailed Grackle

Great-tailed Grackle

Great-tailed Grackle

Browse Species in This Family

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Yellow-headed Blackbird

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