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Field Guide for all the Birds of North America

Cowbirds

Vachers

Icteridae

Lives, Habitats & Pictures of the Cowbirds

Information, images and range maps on over 1,000 birds of North America, including sub-species, vagrants, introduced birds and possibilities

North American Bird Search Box

There are three types of cowbirds in North America. The Brown-headed Cowbird is found throughout the continent right up to the conifer regions of the North.

The Bronzed Cowbird is found along the borders of the southern states down into Mexico and the Shiny Cowbird, which is fairly new to North America, is showing up more and more in the state of Florida.

The cowbirds are brood parasites, which means that the female cowbird will lay her eggs in the nest of other bird species. These eggs are then abandoned by the cowbirds, leaving them to be hatched and the young cowbirds to be raised by the unknown parent birds of the nest. The young cowbirds are more aggressive than the parents own young and these young cowbirds will push the young of the parent birds from the nest to perish, ensuring they will get all the food to survive.

Click on the bird names listed below to see pictures of the Cowbirds seen in North America

Bronzed Cowbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Shiny Cowbird

References to Other Bird Sites:

Avibase - the world bird database This site provides the user with a complete list of bird species, broken down per country, or in the example of the US or Canada, per state and province. Here, bird species names are available in other languages, a great asset to be used as a translation of foreign bird names.

ABA - American Birding Association This site represents an organization that maintains official records of all birds species that have been proven to have been seen inside the perimeters of the North American Continent and the surrounding bodies of water. Regular revised versions are posted to keep the bird list current at all times. This is the list used by all serious birders over their lifetime. You may be aware of the movie called the "Big Year". It was with this list that all the competing birders used in an attempt to set a new record as to how many bird species that could be seen by an individual birder in one calendar year.

I hope you will take advantage of these suggested websites. I have used each of them, in one way or another, throughout the years in my quest to better identify and understand our fine feathered friends.

Classic Collection of North American Birds

CCNAB