Brown-headed Cowbird

Molothrus ater (Boddaert, 1783)

40 gWeight

The brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) is a small, obligate brood parasitic icterid native to temperate and subtropical North America.

Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

Brown-headed Cowbird has been recorded at 803 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 7 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Point Pelee National ParkCanada16,673 records
Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Lincoln Park, ChicagoUnited States13,042 records
Magee Marsh – BoardwalkUnited States12,849 records

More places

Mount Auburn CemeteryUnited States9,242 records
John Heinz NWR – impoundmentUnited States8,625 records
Tommy Thompson ParkCanada8,333 records
Prospect ParkUnited States8,067 records
Tawas Point SPUnited States7,786 records
Toronto – Colonel Samuel Smith ParkCanada7,748 records
Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water RanchUnited States7,689 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Canada Mexico Bahamas Bermuda St. Pierre & Miquelon United Kingdom

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) is a small, obligate brood parasitic icterid native to temperate and subtropical North America. It is a permanent resident in the southern parts of its range; northern birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico in winter, returning to their summer habitat around March or April.

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