Yellow-hooded Blackbird (Chrysomus icterocephalus)
(aka Agelaius icterocephalus)
Male Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Marchantaria Island, Amazonas, Brazil, July 2001 - click for larger image Brazil

The Yellow-hooded Blackbird is found in northern Colombia and Venezuela, through the Guianas and on either side of the Amazon River upstream as far as Peru.

Male Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Palmarí, Amazonas, Brazil, September 2003 - click for larger image It is found in marshes and wet grasslands. The cane-like grass habitat shown in the first photo taken at Marchantaria Island near Manaus is typical of where it is found on Amazon river islands and river banks. The other photos were taken at Palmarí, near Tabatinga, on the border with Peru and shows very similar habitat.
Male Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Palmarí, Amazonas, Brazil, September 2003 - click for larger image

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. It also has black lores.

There must have been at least 30 males displaying on the cane grass at Palmarí. Males form colonies and start to construct nests at the start of the breeding season.

Male Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Palmarí, Amazonas, Brazil, September 2003 - click for larger image 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. I thought it was similar to the display flight of Red-breasted Blackbird Leistes militaris that we had seen in Roraima.

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.

Male Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Palmarí, Amazonas, Brazil, September 2003 - click for larger image The last two photos show a different type of display where the male spreads his tail and ruffles his plumage while singing. This is a territorial display directed at other males.

There are illustrations in Hilty & Brown, Plate 44; and in Jaramillo & Burke, Plate 19.

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