Bronzed Cowbird Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A solidly built songbird with a thick-based, sharply pointed, slightly curved bill. Males have a thick neck, especially when they fluff out the feathers of the nape during displays.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Brown-headed Cowbird, smaller than an Eastern or Western Meadowlark; similar in size to a Red-winged Blackbird.

  robin-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 7.9 in (20 cm)
    • Weight: 2.3-2.6 oz (64.9-73.9 g)
    • Wingspan: 13.0 in (33 cm)

• Color Pattern

  Adult males are blackish with a soft bronze sheen. The wings appear purplish blue at close range. Adult females and juveniles in the eastern part of the range are blackish; in the western part of the range they are grayish brown. Adults have vivid red eyes; juveniles have dark eyes.

• Behavior

  Forages in flocks, mostly on the ground, searching for seeds, grains, and insects. Males perform a remarkable “helicopter” display to females. Both sexes search for orioles and other birds in the process of building nests; the female stealthily lays eggs in other birds’ nests.

• Habitat

  Open habitats such as chaparral, mesquite bosques, coastal prairie, farmland, pasture, golf courses, lightly wooded canyons, and riparian corridors.