Brown-Headed Cowbird

Brown-Headed Cowbird

Molothrus ater

:is a kind of slender blackbird with a brown head. It lays its eggs in the nest of other birds. Long ago, the cowbird was really a "buffallo" bird. It got its food by following herds of buffalo and eating the insects that lived on the buffaloes back.

Bird Spotting: True to its name the head of the brown-headed cowbird is brown. The cow part of its name comes from the fact that this bird tends to associate with cows or horses while foraging for food. The male body is shiny black, while females have a gray-brown head and wings and streaked chest. The bills of the male and female are stout and black.

Habitat: Brown-headed cowbirds can be found flying along agricultural lands, fields, woodland edges and suburban areas.

Nesting: The cowbird lays four or five white eggs, lightly speckled with brown or gray. They do not build nests.

Bird Bite: Referred to as brood parasites, brown-headed cowbirds lay their clutch in the nests of other birds.