General

Brown-headed Cowbird: Small blackbird with glossy brown head, heavy bill, and dark eyes. Female is dark gray with darker streaks and paler throat. Juvenile is white-throated with white scaling on upperparts and white streaks on underparts.

Range and Habitat

Brown-headed Cowbird: Breeds throughout much of southern Canada and the U.S. Spends winters in central and southern parts of breeding range as well as in Florida. Habitat consists of agricultural lands, fields, woodland edges, and suburban areas.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"glug-glug-glee"

Interesting Facts

 Brown-headed cowbirds are brood parasites. They deposit their eggs in nests belonging to birds of other species. Some of the birds they parasitize remove the eggs from their nests or cover them with new nest material so that they are not incubated.

 The cowbird eggs typically hatch earlier than their host’s eggs which gives them a competitive advantage over the other hatchlings.

 Historically, cowbirds followed herds of migrating bison to take advantage of the food they kicked up in their wake. They are still associated to an extent with large mammals such as cows.

 A group of cowbirds are collectively known as a "corral" and a "herd" of cowbirds.

Author

Gary Owen Dick