Dutch Birding volume 29 (2007) no 4

Yellow-headed Blackbird on Texel in May-June 1982

On 18 and 20 May 1982, an adult Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus was seen at Waal en Burg, Texel, Noord-Holland, the Netherlands. The brief description mentions the key characters to exclude other Icterids, including the main pitfall, Yellow-hooded Blackbird Chrysomus icterocephalus. The observation was submitted in the early 1990s but rejected and then the documents were lost. It was resubmitted by the single observer after publication of the first record for the Netherlands, on 2-3 July 1982 on Terschelling, Friesland. On 20 May and 14 June 1982, a Yellow-headed Blackbird had already been reported by other observers at the same site but some inconsistencies in the description prevented acceptance by the Dutch rarities committee (CDNA). After reconsideration, the CDNA now accepts these observations, which predate the sighting on Terschelling a few weeks later and which is considered to refer to the same individual. For more information on the species' identification and distribution, and the reasons to consider it as a possible genuine vagrant, see Ebels & van den Bergh (2007).

Piet J van Vliet, Söderblomstraat 102, 2131 GM Hoofddorp, Nederland (piet.lidaquicknet.nl)
Enno B Ebels, Joseph Haydnlaan 4, 3533 AE Utrecht, Nederland (ebelswxs.nl)