Molothrus aeneus
male
The Bronzed Cowbird is a plump-bodied dark songbird. The sexes are dissimilar. Adult males have black plumage with a bronze sheen on the hood and back, and a blue sheen to the wings and tail. Adult females have dark brown plumage that is darkest on the wings and tail; the plumage lacks an obvious sheen. All adult birds have red eyes. Juveniles are similar to an adult female but the eye is dark.
With a mainly Mexican range, the Bronzed Cowbird is present as a breeding species from southern Texas to southern California mainly from May to August. It spends the rest of the year in Central America, where the species is resident. It is a nest parasite of other songbirds, undertaking no parental care of its offspring.
male
female
FACT FILE
LENGTH 8.75 in (22 cm)
FOOD Invertebrates, seeds, and berries
HABITAT Farmland and open country
STATUS Local summer visitor
VOICE Song is a series of strange-sounding gurgles and squeaks. Call is a harsh tchuk
