From Opus

Molothrus rufoaxillaris

Photo by Fritz73.
Photo taken: Argentina.

[edit] Identification

Adults are black with limited feather sheen, usually greenish-blue; female smaller (rufous axillars are usually not seen in the field). Younger birds mirror Bay-winged Cowbird.

[edit] Similar species

Shiny Cowbird has a longer bill and rounder head. It is sexually dimorphic, so flocks of all black birds are more likely to be the present species.

[edit] Distribution

Bolivia to Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil.

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species.

[edit] Habitat

Pastureland, towns, scrubby areas, and heavily degraded former forest.

[edit] Behaviour

It parasitizes the nest of the Bay-winged Cowbird.

[edit] References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2012. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2012. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Neotropical birds online

• List of references

[edit] External Links