Yellow Hooded Blackbird

Yellow-hooded Blackbird

 (Chrysomus icterocephalus)

Photographed at Bird Kingdom, Niagara Canada      Feb 2012

The Yellow-hooded Blackbird is found around the Amazon River in marshes and wet grasslands. The male, as shown in the photo, is unmistakable with its yellow hood extending down to its upper chest and the rest of its body black.

The males attract females to their nests by a flight song and display where the bird parachutes down into the grasses while singing and with his wings held stiffly.

 Once a female has been attracted to his nest and is incubating, the male constructs another nest and tries to attract another female. Males can do this up to 5 times and it is always the male that builds the nest.

The male will spread his tail and ruffles his plumage while singing. This is a territorial display directed at other males.

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