The bronzed cowbird (''Molothrus aeneus''), once known as the red-eyed cowbird, is a small icterid. They breed from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

s of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

south through

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Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. They tend to be found in farmland, brush, and feedlots. Outside the breeding season, they are found in very open habitats, and roost in thick woods. These birds forage in open areas, often near cattle in pastures. Their diet mostly consists of seeds and insects, along with snails during breeding season for a calcium source. There are three subspecies: * ''M. a. loyei'' Parkes & Blake, 1965 is found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. * ''M. a. assimilis'' (

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, 1900) is found in southwestern Mexico. * ''M. a. aeneus'' ( Wagler, 1829), the

nominate Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In the ...

subspecies, is found in

South Texas South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of—and includes—San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 4.96 ...

and from eastern Mexico to central Panama The bronze-brown cowbird, which is restricted to the Caribbean coast of

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, was formerly considered to be an isolated population of this species. The male bronzed cowbird is long and weighs , with green-bronze, gloss-black plumage. His eyes are red in breeding season and brown otherwise. The female is long and weighs . She is a dull black with a brown underbelly, and has brown eyes. Young birds have coloring similar to the females, with the exception of grey feather fringes. Like all cowbirds, this bird is an obligate

brood parasite Brood parasites are animals that rely on others to raise their young. The strategy appears among birds, insects and fish. The brood parasite manipulates a host, either of the same or of another species, to raise its young as if it were its own ...

; it lays its

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

s in the nests of other birds. The young cowbird is fed by the host parents at the expense of their own young. Hosts include

Prevost's ground-sparrow Prevost's ground sparrow (''Melozone biarcuata''), also known as the white-faced ground sparrow, is an American sparrow. Etymology Its English name commemorates French naturalist Florent Prévost. Distribution and habitat This bird breeds a ...

s and

white-naped brush finch The white-naped brushfinch (''Atlapetes albinucha''), also known as the yellow-throated brush finch, is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and ...

es. They develop rapidly, leaving the nest after 10–12 days.
Bronzed Cowbird 2

References

External links

* * * * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1190592

bronzed cowbird The bronzed cowbird (''Molothrus aeneus''), once known as the red-eyed cowbird, is a small icterid. They breed from the U.S. states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana south through Central America to Panama. They tend to be ...

Birds of Central America Birds of the Yucatán Peninsula

Bronzed Cowbird The bronzed cowbird (''Molothrus aeneus''), once known as the red-eyed cowbird, is a small icterid. They breed from the U.S. states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana south through Central America to Panama. They tend to be ...

Fauna of the Lower Colorado River Valley Native birds of the Southwestern United States

References

Further reading

External links