Shiny Cowbird

Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis)

Shiny Cowbird

Order : Passeriformes
Also known as Passerine’s or perching bird’s. Any member of the largest avian order which includes more than 5,700 species, more than half of all living birds. Passerines are true perching birds with four toed feet, three toes facing forward and one larger toe facing backwards.

Family : Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae)
The Icteridae is a family made up of 88 species of diverse songbirds from across the Americas including blackbirds, grackles, orioles, cowbirds, meadowlarks, and oropendolas. The majority of Icterids have black in the plumage with yellow also being a predominant colour in many species. Males are usually decidedly larger than females.

Name : Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis)
Length 18 - 20 cm (7 - 8 in)
Local Names : Lazy bird, Blackbird’s cousin.

Originally from South America, this species is considered a rather recent arrival to the West Indies. The male is black with a strong violet gloss, the female a greyish brown with the juvenile being similar to the female. The song is a series of loud, musical whistles and a melodious warble and also soft unmusical call notes.The Shiny Cowbird is omnivorous it’s diet consisting of insects and seeds. It is a bird of open countryside and suburban areas and may roost colonially with Grackles. The Cowbird is parasitic, the female laying her eggs in the nests of other, usually smaller species. The foster parents are left to rear the young Cowbird, quite often at the expense of their own young.



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Bird identification images

Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) female

Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) juvenile

Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) male