The grayish baywing (''Agelaioides badius''), formerly known as the bay-winged cowbird, is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family

Icteridae Icterids () or New World blackbirds make up a family, the Icteridae (), of small to medium-sized, often colorful, New World passerine birds. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red. The ...

. It is currently placed in the genus ''Agelaioides'' but has traditionally been placed in the genus ''

Molothrus Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus ''Molothrus'' in the family Icteridae. They are of New World origin, and are obligate brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species. The genus was introduced by English naturalist Will ...

''. It is found in the northern half of

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

and southern and central

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, The isolated population in north-eastern Brazil is usually now considered a separate species, the pale cowbird or

pale baywing The pale baywing (''Agelaioides fringillarius''), formerly known as the pale cowbird, is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is currently placed in the genus ''Agelaioides'', but has traditionally been placed in the genus ''Molothrus''. ...

(''Agelaioides fringillarius''). The greyish baywing has been recorded as a vagrant in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Description and behavior

It has a total length of approximately 18 cm (7 in). It is overall ashy-brown with contrasting black lores and

rufous Rufous () is a color that may be described as reddish-brown or brownish-red, as of rust or oxidised iron. The first recorded use of ''rufous'' as a color name in English was in 1782. However, the color is also recorded earlier in 1527 as a dia ...

wings. The

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

''fringillarius'' has more black in the face and is overall more rufescent (less ashy). It is social and commonly seen in small groups. Unlike the "true"

cowbird Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus ''Molothrus'' in the family Icteridae. They are of New World origin, and are obligate brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species. The genus was introduced by English naturalist Will ...

s in the genus ''Molothrus'', this species is not a

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 ...

. In contrast, the

screaming cowbird The screaming cowbird (''Molothrus rufoaxillaris'') is an obligate brood parasite belonging to the family Icteridae and is found in South America. It is also known commonly as the short billed cowbird.Fraga, R. M. (2011). Family Icteridae (New Wo ...

is a brood parasite of the grayish baywing, and while adult screaming cowbirds are overall blackish, juvenile screaming cowbirds closely resemble grayish baywings.

Habitat and status

It is found in a wide range of semi-open habitats, including scrub and light woodland. It is generally fairly common, and consequently considered to be of

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

and

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

References

* Ridgely, R. S.; & Tudor, G. (1989). ''The Birds of South America vol. 1 - The Oscine Passerines.'' Oxford University Press.

External links

Greyish baywing ''Agelaioides badius''
- Fauna Paraguay * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1584315

grayish baywing The grayish baywing (''Agelaioides badius''), formerly known as the bay-winged cowbird, is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is currently placed in the genus ''Agelaioides'' but has traditionally been placed in the genus ''Molothrus' ...

Birds of Argentina Birds of Bolivia Birds of Brazil Birds of Paraguay Birds of Uruguay

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot