How to Identify aBrown-headed Cowbird
Molothrus ater · 7.5–8.7 in (19–22 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Glossy greenish-black body with a contrasting chocolate-brown head and a short, thick conical bill.
Female
Plain grayish-brown all over with faint streaking and the same stubby bill.
Male photo: Rhododendrites / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Female photo: Rhododendrites / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Field marks
- Short, thick, seed-cracking bill
- Male's brown head on a black body
- Female plain gray-brown, unmarked face
- Often feeds on the ground in flocks
Similar species
What it sounds like
A liquid gurgling followed by a thin high whistle, plus sharp chattering flight calls.
Behaviour that gives it away
Builds no nest of its own, laying eggs in the nests of other species and leaving them to raise the young.
Habitat & range
Fields, farms, feeders, and woodland edges across most of North America.
When you'll see it
Depending on where in North America you are, it is present all year and a summer visitor that arrives to breed.
What it eats
Seeds, grain, and insects, usually foraged on open ground.
Did you know?
Cowbirds build no nest — females lay eggs in other birds' nests and leave them to raise the chick.
Spot one yourself?
Point your camera at any bird and Aviarist identifies it in seconds — then logs it to your life list.
Get Aviarist on Google Play
More backyard birds
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Other apps we make
