BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES 



Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, and south to 

 northern Mexico. Breeding throughout its 

 range in suitable localities. 



The yellow-headed blackbird is common in 

 eastern Washington and Oregon, and in the 

 central valleys of California, rarely coming 

 west of the mountains in the northern parts of 

 its range. It is partial to the reedy borders 

 of alkaline lakes or the edges of the big ditches 

 in the irrigated country where it builds its 

 nest in the tules over water. The nest is a 

 deeply cupped, well-made structure woven of 

 the wet leaves of tule and marsh grass lined 

 with fine grass, soft weed stems and plant 

 down. In the fall the yellow-heads gather in 

 flocks with other blackbirds and wander 

 south in their annual migration. 



Vernon Bailey speaks of finding "flocks by 

 themselves in fields and meadows, along the 

 roadsides, often in barnyards and corrals, and 

 sometimes in city streets, flocks with pom- 

 pous, yellow-capped males strutting about 

 among the dull-colored females and young, 

 talking in harsh, guttural tones. Noisy at 

 all times, they are doubly so at the breeding 

 grounds, where they try to sing, and their 

 hoarse voices come up from the tule borders 

 like the croaking of frogs and creaking of 

 unoiled gates." 



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