Yellow-headed Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird has surged: up 166% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Yellow-headed Blackbird
The Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) is a North American member of the Blackbirds & Orioles (Icteridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 6.5–17 in long (16–43 cm) — a small to medium songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 911 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 25 states, most concentrated in the Great Basin.
- Family
- Icteridae · Wetland birds
Notable Yellow-headed Blackbird Trends
Yellow-headed Blackbird has surged in surveyed states: up 166% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Yellow-headed Blackbird Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Yellow-headed Blackbird is projected to rise about 38% by 2029 — from 1.9 in 2024 to a central estimate of 2.6 (95% range 1.3–4.0). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±51.9%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 3.9 |
| 2026 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 4.0 |
| 2027 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 4.0 |
| 2028 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 4.0 |
| 2029 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 4.0 |
Where the Yellow-headed Blackbird Is Detected
BBS routes recording Yellow-headed Blackbird, sized by most recent count.
Yellow-headed Blackbird Population Trend by State
| Arizona | +165% | 1971 | 23 |
| California | -39% | 1970 | 74 |
| Colorado | +353% | 1971 | 78 |
| Idaho | -74% | 1970 | 42 |
| Illinois | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Indiana | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Iowa | -43% | 1970 | 18 |
| Kansas | -83% | 1969 | 24 |
| Michigan | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Minnesota | -63% | 1969 | 64 |
| Missouri | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Montana | -1% | 1970 | 74 |
| Nebraska | +33% | 1969 | 52 |
| Nevada | +400% | 1970 | 34 |
| New Mexico | -78% | 1992 | 14 |
| North Dakota | +410% | 1969 | 50 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Oklahoma | +81% | 1970 | 13 |
| Oregon | -63% | 1970 | 55 |
| South Dakota | -12% | 1969 | 51 |
| Texas | +266% | 1982 | 14 |
| Utah | +174% | 1970 | 52 |
| Washington | -18% | 1970 | 44 |
| Wisconsin | -93% | 1968 | 32 |
| Wyoming | +29% | 1970 | 90 |
Yellow-headed Blackbird Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -40% | 1977 | 7 |
| Great Basin | -20% | 1970 | 174 |
| Northern Rockies | -17% | 1970 | 122 |
| Prairie Potholes | +133% | 1969 | 118 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -80% | 1969 | 25 |
| Sierra Nevada | -98% | 1973 | 7 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +118% | 1971 | 79 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +7% | 1969 | 103 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -43% | 1969 | 74 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | -55% | 1969 | 52 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -86% | 1969 | 33 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -91% | 1968 | 42 |
| Coastal California | -98% | 1970 | 27 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | +142% | 1972 | 35 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | -80% | 1979 | 8 |
Yellow-headed Blackbird Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 166% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.