Brown-headed Cowbird - BirdForum Opus

Photo by KCFoggin

Molothrus ater

Identification

15-20cm.

• Finch-like bill
  

Male - black plumage, glossy brown head.
Female - grey brown.

Distribution

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

Female
Photo by OhioMoose
Central Ohio, May 2007

Polytypic. Consists of four subspecies

Subspecies^[1]

• M. a. artemisiae - s coastal Alaska to sw US; migrates to Baja California and s Mexico
• M. a. obscurus - sw US to Guerrero and n Tamaulipas; migrates to s Baja California Sur and Oaxaca
• M. a. ater - central and e-central US; migrates to Gulf Coast, Florida and s Mexico
• M. a. californicus - s California to n Baja California and Los Coronados Islands (off nw Baja California)

Habitat

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

Farmland, foreste edges, suburbs.

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 23 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown-headed_Cowbird

External Links

Search for photos of Brown-headed Cowbird in the gallery