Brown-headed cowbird

A grassland blackbird that lays eggs in other birds' nests.

Field guide

A grassland blackbird that lays eggs in other birds' nests.

Identification

The male is glossy black with a brown head; the female is plain gray-brown with a short, thick bill.

An adult male is glossy black with a sharply contrasting brown head. Young males can be mottled before acquiring the full adult plumage.

An adult female is plain gray-brown, paler below, with a short, thick conical bill and no brown-black head contrast; juveniles may look similar.

Habitat

Pastures, open farmland, woodland edges and areas with grazing animals.

Where to look during the day

At dawn, listen from exposed perches near open fields.

In the afternoon, look for feeding birds on short grass or around livestock.

At dusk, watch flocks gathering in trees near open habitat.

Sounds

Males give liquid, bubbling whistles; both sexes make short contact calls.

Brown-headed cowbird

Field recording of a brown-headed cowbird. A narrower call type or the caller's sex is not assigned to this clip.

Jonathon Jongsma · Recording source

Natural history source: Read the source

Bag limits