Brown-headed Cowbird - BirdForum Opus

Photo by KCFoggin
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA, March 2005

Molothrus ater

Identification

Male: 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm); female: 6.3-7.9 in (16-20 cm)

• Finch-like bill
  

Male – glossy black plumage (sometimes a blue-green sheen can be seen), rich brown head, dark eye
Female – brown plumage, paler on the head and underparts, dark bill and eye
Juvenile – similar in color to female, but with streaking on breast and paler bill

Distribution

Canada, USA and Mexico
Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec

Female
OhioMoose
Central Ohio, May 2007

USA: New England, Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming
Mexico: Baja California, Tamaulipas, Oaxaca, Los Coronados Islands

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

This is a polytypic species which consists of four subspecies:

Juvenile
bobsofpa
Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, Pennsylvania, USA, June 2008

• M. a. artemisiae:

• Southern coastal Alaska to south-western US; migrates to Baja California and southern Mexico

• M. a. obscurus:

• South-western US to Guerrero and northern Tamaulipas; migrates to southern Baja California Sur and Oaxaca

• M. a. ater:

• Central and east-central US; migrates to Gulf Coast, Florida and southern Mexico

• M. a. californicus:

• Southern California to northern Baja California and Los Coronados Islands (off north-western Baja California)

Habitat

Farmland, foreste edges, suburbs.

Photo by Marysan
Imperial County, California, November 2004

Behaviour

Breeding

Cowbirds are brood parasites; the female removes one egg from the host nest and lays one of her own. Four to five white, brown speckled eggs are laid, one at a time.

Vocalisation

Song: A liquid, bubbly gurgle followed by an upslurred, high-pitched whistle (given during display).
Call: check or a rattle.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Avibase
3. eNature

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Brown-headed Cowbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown-headed_Cowbird

External Links

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