Brown-headed Cowbird
Molothrus ater
Also called cowbird.
A brood parasite: it lays in other birds' nests and leaves them to raise the young. The short conical bill separates it from every other blackbird, and the plain grey female is a common feeder mystery.
- Size
- Robin to jay — 16–22 cm
- Bill
- Short and conical
- Where
- feeder, open field, yard
- Season
- year round
What it looks like
The male is glossy black with a distinctly brown head and a short thick conical bill. The female is plain grey-brown throughout with faint streaking and a pale throat.
The checks that confirm it
- A short, thick, conical bill — finch-like, not the long pointed bill of a blackbird.
- Male: black body with a chocolate-brown head, which can look black in poor light.
- Female: uniformly plain grey-brown, no pattern, faint streaking below.
- Tail is short relative to other blackbirds.
Voice
A liquid, bubbling 'glug-glug-gleee' followed by thin high whistles.
Attracting it
Mixed seed on the ground. Not something to encourage where songbirds nest.
Confused with
Much larger, long keeled tail, yellow eye and a long pointed bill.
Long pointed bill, short square tail, spotted in winter.
Questions about this bird
How do you identify a brown-headed cowbird?
A short, thick, conical bill — finch-like, not the long pointed bill of a blackbird. Male: black body with a chocolate-brown head, which can look black in poor light.
What does a brown-headed cowbird sound like?
A liquid, bubbling 'glug-glug-gleee' followed by thin high whistles.
How do you attract a brown-headed cowbird?
Mixed seed on the ground. Not something to encourage where songbirds nest.