Shiny Cowbird: how to recognise it
A bird of North America and South America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © eduardovieira17 · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Molothrus bonariensis
- Family
- New World Blackbirds and Orioles
- Size
- About 19 cm
- Habitat
- Farmland, open scrub and gardens
- Found in
- North America and South America
The key marks
A small, stocky, glossy black bird with a short, thick bill and a purple-blue gloss and a dark eye. Bronzed Cowbird has a red eye and a thick ruff on the back of the neck.
Voice
A fluid, bubbling trill followed by high whistles.
Good to know
It lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, and one female may use the nests of many different species.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Bronzed Cowbird. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in farmland, open scrub and gardens. It is especially common in Argentina. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.