Difference between revisions of "Giant Cowbird" - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 22:14, 27 February 2018

Photo by Robert_Scanlon
Panama, January 2004

Molothrus oryzivorus

Scaphidura oryzivora

Identification

Male and female similar except that female is smaller. Overall the species is black with some feather shine, it has a conspicuous ruff around the neck giving it a smallheaded/bull-necked appearance and it has a large black bill.
Iris is reddish in Mexico and most of Central America becoming more yellow as one goes east in Panama.

Distribution

From Mexico in Southern North America through Central America and South America to Argentina and Bolivia

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

M. o. impacifus:

Caribbean slope of southern Mexico (southern Veracruz) to western Panama

M. o. oryzivorus:

Eastern Panama to Bolivia, Paraguay, south-eastern Brazil and north-eastern Argentina

Habitat

Semiopen to open areas like forest clearings, wooded savannahs, fields, etc, but usually near colonies of nest hosts.

Behaviour

Diet

Feeds mainly on the ground but also observed feeding on larger mammals (eating biting flies and similar) and occasionally by gleaning from leaves

Breeding

Nest parasite which mainly deposit eggs in nests of Oropendolas and Caciques, but also described as parasitizing a couple of Jay species and a couple of large orioles.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Neotropical birds online

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Giant Cowbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Giant_Cowbird

External Links

Search for photos of Giant Cowbird in the gallery

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 Feeds mainly on the ground but also observed feeding on larger mammals (eating biting flies and similar) and occasionally by gleaning from leaves
 ====Breeding====
-Nest predator which mainly deposit eggs in Oropendolas and Caciques, but also described as predating a couple of Jay species and a couple of large orioles.
+Nest parasite which mainly deposit eggs in nests of Oropendolas and Caciques, but also described as parasitizing a couple of Jay species and a couple of large orioles.
 ==References==
 #{{Ref-Clements6thAug13}}#Neotropical birds online