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Brown-headed Cowbird

Molothrus aterOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae)

Brown-headed Cowbird Portrait
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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

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Range Map for Brown-headed Cowbird
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Molothrus ater
Length7 - 8.25 Inches
Wingspan12.75 Inches

Brown-headed Cowbird

Brown-headed Cowbird: Small blackbird with glossy brown head, heavy bill, and dark eyes. The black body has a faint green sheen. Walks on ground to forage and holds tail cocked over back. Feeds on caterpillars, insects, spiders, fruits, grains and seeds. Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Song: "glug-glug-glee"

● Foraging & Feeding: Brown-headed Cowbird: Eats mostly seeds and arthropods. Forages on the ground, but sometimes hawks slow-flying insects.

● Breeding & nesting: Brown-headed Cowbird: Nest parasite; usually one brown flecked light blue egg is laid in the nest of another species of bird. As many as thirty-six eggs are laid per nesting season. Incubation ranges from 10 to 13 days and is carried out by the host. Altricial young usually hatch first and outcompete hosts’ young.

● Similar species: Brown-headed Cowbird: Bronzed Cowbird is slightly larger and has larger bill and red eyes. Male Shiny Cowbird is glossy black overall and has a purple sheen on head, back, and breast. Female has gray-brown upperparts.

Flight Pattern

Swooping direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Brown-headed Cowbird Body Illustration
● Range & 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.
BreedingPromiscuous
Population
MigrationNorthern birds migrate
Weight1.7 Ounces