BLACKBIRDS, ETC.: YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD 643 
into yellow on chest ; breast broadly streaked with white; bill dusky brownish. (In 
winter all the yellow areas are deeper and the plumage is generally darker.) Young 
in juvenal 'plumage: Head and breast brown or buffy, giving the effect of a brown¬ 
headed bird; abdominal region whitish 
and back blackish, both more or less 
edged with buff; tail and wings black, 
wing-coverts tipped with white. 
Range. —Breeds from southern British 
Columbia east of the Cascades, south¬ 
western Mackenzie, northern Saskat¬ 
chewan, northern Manitoba, Wisconsin, 
and northwestern Indiana south to eastern 
Kansas, western Texas, northern New 
Mexico, southwestern Mexico, Arizona, 
and southern California; winters from 
southwestern California, southern Arizona, 
southeastern Texas (rarely), and south¬ 
western Louisiana south to Puebla, Mieli- 
oacan, and Jalisco. Recorded from James 
Bay and casual in Atlantic States; acci¬ 
dental in Alaska, Greenland, Quebec, and 
other localities. 
State Recouds. —In the breeding 
season the Yellow-headed Blackbird has a 
limited and very local range in New Mexico. 
The peculiar conditions required for a 
satisfactory nesting site are not common in the State, but wherever they occur the 
bird may be expected from the northern parts south to Carlsbad (Bailey), Fort Fill¬ 
more (Henry), and Apache (Anthony). It also breeds at Zuni (Henshaw), Laguna 
(Coues), Albuquerque (Bailey), and at the lakes of Rio Arriba County, thus nesting 
from 3,500-7,700 feet. Young out of the nest but still being fed by the parents were 
abundant at Lake Burford on July 17, 1915 (Ligon). [At Lake Burford in 1918 it 
was estimated that there were 210 pairs, and by May 28, 1918, nest building was 
going on everywhere (Wetmore). In northern Santa Fc County flocks are often seen 
in the spring, and it is believed that they breed in a swamp along the Rio Grande 
(1922). They were found nesting in willows along the river near the Santa Fe 
Indian School, June 18, 1924 (Jensen).1 Near Mesilla there is a tule-filled marshy 
sink where vast numbers breed (Merrill). 
In the fall it is much more widely distributed; it was seen between Socorro and 
Albuquerque, August 12, 1912 (Ligon); a few were seen late in August, 1913, near 
Koehler Junction, and a specimen was taken, September 4, 1913 (Kalmbaeh). It 
ascends into the lower mountains to 8,000 feet at Black Lake, September 10, 1903 
(Bailey), and to 7,500 feet at Beaver Lake, August 26-27, 1908 (Birdseye). Most 
leave the northern part of the State in September. But a few were still present near 
Gallup, September 28, 1908 (Birdseye), and a few near Redrock, October 3, 1908 
(Goldman). The last one seen in 1905 in the Jornada was on October 1 (Ligon); and a 
single bird was seen at Santa Rosa October 6, 1902 (Gaut). 
In winter, it is rare in the State. [In Colfax County, Charles Springer is sure 
individuals have been seen at all seasons of the year, and some have remained 
throughout some winters (1925).] But the lower Rio Grande Valley and possibly 
Fig. 112. Nest of Yellow-headed 
Blackbird 
