Brown-headed Cowbird
Molothrus ater
Summary 5
The brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) is a small obligate brood parasitic icterid of temperate to subtropical North America. They are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range; northern birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico in winter, returning to their summer habitat around March or April. The adult male is iridescent black in color with a brown head. The adult female is slightly smaller and is dull grey with a pale throat and very fine streaking on the underparts. Adults are 6.3-8.7 inches long. They can be spotted in the COSA from late March until August
Sources and Credits
- (c) Jerry Oldenettel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/7457894@N04/2344931549
- (c) Rick Leche - Photography, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_leche/2552318338/
- (c) JanetandPhil, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/dharma_for_one/44365952701/
- (c) Tom Benson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/40928097@N07/35490427081/
- Adapted by dirstine from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molothrus_ater
