Quantcast

Shiny Cowbird

Molothrus bonariensisOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae)
Shiny Cowbird Breeding Male Head Illustration

Head

  • Bill Shape: Cone, All-purpose
  • Eye Color: Lead gray.
  • Head Pattern: Plain
  • Crown Color: Black with purple sheen.
  • Forehead Color: Black with purple sheen.
  • Nape Color: Black with purple sheen.
  • Throat Color: Black with purple sheen.
  • Cere color: No Data
Shiny Cowbird Breeding Male Body Illustration

Body

  • Length Range: 19 cm (7.5 in)
  • Weight: 40 g (1.4 oz)
  • Size: Size 2. Small (5 - 9 in)
  • Color: Purple or Violet, Black
  • Underparts: Black
  • Upperparts: Black with purple sheen.
  • Back Pattern: Solid
  • Belly Pattern: Solid
  • Breast Pattern: Solid
Shiny Cowbird Breeding Male Flight Illustration

Flight

  • Flight Pattern: Rapid swooping direct flight on quickly beating wings.
  • Wingspan Range: 30 cm (12 in)
  • Wing Shape: Pointed-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Fan-shaped Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Solid
  • Upper Tail: Black
  • Under Tail: Black
  • Leg Color: Black
.
Bird database and its related content, illustrations and media is Copyright © 2002 - 2007  Whatbird.com
All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced without written permission from Mitch Waite Group.
 Privacy Policy.
Percevia® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
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 Meadowlark (Icteridae)_blue
Species Molothrus bonariensis
Length7.5 Inches
Wingspan12 Inches

Shiny Cowbird

Shiny Cowbird: Small blackbird with purple sheen on head, back, breast. Eyes are dark. Black bill, legs, feet. Forages on ground, walking with tail cocked above back. Eats insects, caterpillars, seeds and rice. Swift direct flight on rapid wing beats. Travels alone or in small flocks.

● Song: No data available.

● Foraging & Feeding: Shiny Cowbird: Eats insects and seeds; forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Shiny Cowbird: Nest parasite that lays one white to light blue or pink egg per nest in nests of other species. Incubation ranges from 11 to 12 days and is carried out by the host species.

● Similar species: Shiny Cowbird: Brown-headed Cowbird has a glossy brown head; female is plain gray-brown.

Flight Pattern

Rapid swooping direct flight on quickly beating wings.
Shiny Cowbird Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Shiny Cowbird: Primarily a South American species, it spread through the West Indies and arrived in southern Florida in 1985. Casual from Texas to North Carolina. Accidental to Oklahoma, Maine, and Maritimes.
BreedingPromiscuous
PopulationRare to uncommon
MigrationMigratory
Weight1.4 Ounces