(Photo courtesy of Emiliano Gonzalez http://www.fotosdeltuyu.com.ar)
(Description from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
The Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis, is a passerine bird in the New World family
Icteridae. It breeds in most of South America apart from the most dense jungles, mountains and
deserts (although spreading into these habitats as they are modified by humans), the coldest
southernmost regions (e.g. Tierra del Fuego), and on Trinidad and Tobago. It has relatively
recently colonised Chile and many Caribbean islands, and has reached the United States where it
is probably breeding in southern Florida. Northern and southernmost populations are partially
migratory.
It is a bird associated with open woodland and cultivation. The male’s song is a purr and whistle.
The male’s call is a sharp whistled and the female makes a harsh rattle.
Like most other cowbirds, it is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of many other bird
species, such as (in Brazil) the Rufous-collared Sparrow and the Masked Water-tyrant. The eggs
are of two types, either whitish and unspotted, or pale blue or green with dark spots and
blotches. The host’s eggs are sometimes removed, and if food is short their chicks may starve,
but larger host species are less affected. The incubation period of 11-12 days is shorter than
that of most hosts. Extermination of the Shiny Cowbird within the tiny range of the Pale-headed
Brush-finch has resulted in a population increase in this critically endangered species.
The male Shiny Cowbird is 20.3 cm long, weighs 45 g and is all black with an iridescent purple-
blue gloss. The smaller female is 19 cm long and weighs 31 g. Her plumage is dark brown, paler
on the underparts. She can be distinguished from the female Brown-headed Cowbird by her
longer, finer bill, pale superciilium and stronger face pattern. There is an all-black plumage
variation, and the northern subspecies M. b. cabanisii of Panama and northern Colombia is paler
than the nominate M. b. bonariensis. Juveniles are like the female but more streaked below.
This abundant and gregarious bird feeds mainly on insects and some seeds, including rice, and
forages on the ground or perches on cattle.
The Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis, is a passerine bird in the New World family
Icteridae. It breeds in most of South America apart from the most dense jungles, mountains and
deserts (although spreading into these habitats as they are modified by humans), the coldest
southernmost regions (e.g. Tierra del Fuego), and on Trinidad and Tobago. It has relatively
recently colonised Chile and many Caribbean islands, and has reached the United States where it
is probably breeding in southern Florida. Northern and southernmost populations are partially
migratory.
It is a bird associated with open woodland and cultivation. The male’s song is a purr and whistle.
The male’s call is a sharp whistled and the female makes a harsh rattle.
Like most other cowbirds, it is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of many other bird
species, such as (in Brazil) the Rufous-collared Sparrow and the Masked Water-tyrant. The eggs
are of two types, either whitish and unspotted, or pale blue or green with dark spots and
blotches. The host’s eggs are sometimes removed, and if food is short their chicks may starve,
but larger host species are less affected. The incubation period of 11-12 days is shorter than
that of most hosts. Extermination of the Shiny Cowbird within the tiny range of the Pale-headed
Brush-finch has resulted in a population increase in this critically endangered species.
The male Shiny Cowbird is 20.3 cm long, weighs 45 g and is all black with an iridescent purple-
blue gloss. The smaller female is 19 cm long and weighs 31 g. Her plumage is dark brown, paler
on the underparts. She can be distinguished from the female Brown-headed Cowbird by her
longer, finer bill, pale superciilium and stronger face pattern. There is an all-black plumage
variation, and the northern subspecies M. b. cabanisii of Panama and northern Colombia is paler
than the nominate M. b. bonariensis. Juveniles are like the female but more streaked below.
This abundant and gregarious bird feeds mainly on insects and some seeds, including rice, and
forages on the ground or perches on cattle.
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