cow·bird

(kou′bûrd′)

Any of various blackbirds of the genus Molothrus, especially the common North American species M. ater, that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and are often seen accompanying herds of grazing cattle.

[From their habit of staying with cattle.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cowbird

(ˈkaʊˌbɜːd)

(Animals) any of various American orioles of the genera Molothrus, Tangavius, etc, esp M. ater (common or brown-headed cowbird). They have a dark plumage and short bill

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cow•bird

(ˈkaʊˌbɜrd)

n.

any blackbird of the genera Molothrus and Schapidura, noted for their brood parasitism, esp. the common North American species M. ater.

[1795–1805, Amer.]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

cowbird - North American blackbird that follows cattle and lays eggs in other birds' nests

blackbird, New World blackbird - any bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black

genus Molothrus, Molothrus - cowbirds

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References in periodicals archive

We recorded nest contents (number of host eggs and presence and number of parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird [Molothrus ater] eggs or chicks) and candled eggs to estimate days since incubation started.

Grassland Bird and Butterfly Responses to Sericea Lespedeza Control via Late-Season Grazing Pressure

The egg destruction behavior of the brown-headed cowbird.

Look locally Series showcases forest preserves when the birding is at its best

Second, the Service initiated a brown-headed cowbird control program to remove cowbirds from active warbler nesting areas, reducing the threat of nest parasitism.

The class of 1967 50 years later

Six nests were parasitized with a single brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) egg, and all parasitized nests occurred in Gambel oak-dominated woodland.

Contributing variables to nest survival, and the breeding biology, of the western wood-pewee (Contopus Sordidulus) in southwestern Colorado

Narrow buffer zones increase the amount of edge habitat, which often increases egg parasitism, especially by species such as Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater; Gates & Giffen 1991; Bohning-Gaese et al.

Riparian width and Neotropical avian species richness in the agricultural Midwest

A similar effect has been observed with the Brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater).

Shinichi Suzuki and Bird Song: assessing Suzuki's claim that musical talent is not inborn

Brood parasite: brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) [cited 2015 Aug 8].

Don't lay your eggs all in one basket: brood parasitism as a survival strategy

The agency has also gunned down the brown-headed cowbird, boat-tailed grackle, common raven, American crow, fish crow and waterfowl and wading birds that relish the coastal wetlands neighboring Kennedy, such as the wood duck, bufflehead, American wigeon, semipalmated plover, sanderling, least sandpiper, black-crowned night heron, great egret and cattle egret, according to Port Authority records.

Wildlife control contractors have shot almost 26,000 birds at New York JFK airport

The brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater), an obligate brood parasite, had previously shown greater resistance to infection with WNV, lower viremia and faster recovery when infected, and lower subsequent antibody titers than the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), a close relative that is not a brood parasite.

Avian Dis.: Enhanced innate immune responses in a brood parasitic cowbird species: degranulation and oxidative burst

The most commonly encountered species, in descending order of relative abundance (individuals detected per point count) were brown-headed cowbird, dickcissel, grasshopper sparrow, and eastern meadowlark.

Breeding season bird communities associated with tallgrass prairies in southeast Nebraska

I observed an adult yellow-throated warbler feeding a fledged brown-headed cowbird within a few meters of the viewing platform at the Beehive Overlook at Starved Rock State Park (LaSalle County, IL) on July 1, 2010.

Evidence of cowbird parasitism on yellow-throated warblers at starved Rock State Park, Illinois, USA

NEWS emerged last week that brown-headed cowbird, a North American species, could be added to the list of birds seen in Wales.

bird notes