? Cowbirds
Female M. ater
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Icteridae Genus: Molothrus Swainson, 1832
Species
Molothrus rufoaxillaris Molothrus oryzivorus Molothrus aeneus Molothrus bonariensis Molothrus ater

Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus Molothrus in the family Icteridae. They are brood parasitic New World birds which are unrelated to the European Cuckoo which is the best-known brood parasitic bird. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1050x701, 745 KB) Description: Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), female ; de: Braunkopf-Kuhstärling Creator: Lee Karney URL: Fish and Wildlife Service Licence: File links The following pages link to this file: Cowbird Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Placozoa (trichoplax) Subregnum Bilateria (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Many - see section below. ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... The Icterids are a group of small to medium, often colourful passerine birds restricted to the New World. ... William Swainson William Swainson (October 8, 1789 - December 6, 1855), was an English ornithologist and artist. ... In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ... Binomial name Molothrus oryzivorus (Gmelin, 1788) The Giant Cowbird, Molothrus oryzivorus, is a large passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. ... Binomial name Molothrus aeneus (Wagler, 1829) The Bronzed Cowbird (once known as the Red-eyed Cowbird), Molothrus aeneus, is a small icterid. ... Binomial name Molothrus bonariensis (Gmelin, 1788) The Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis, is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. ... Binomial name Molothrus ater Boddaert, 1783 The Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater, is a small icterid. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... The Icterids are a group of small to medium, often colourful passerine birds restricted to the New World. ... Brood parasite is a term specifically applied to birds or insects that leave their eggs in the nests of other birds or insects to be raised. ... Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, c. ... World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... Genera See text. ...

This family includes five species of cowbirds that form the natural genus Molothrus. This has been determined by phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences (Lanyon 1992, Johnson and Lanyon 1999, Lanyon and Omland 1999, in Lowther, 2004). A phylogeny (or phylogenesis) is the origin and evolution of a set of organisms, usually of a species. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Mitochondrial genetics. ...

The genus Molothrus includes:

• Screaming Cowbird, Molothrus rufoaxillaris
• Giant Cowbird, Molothrus [formerly Scaphidura] oryzivorus
• Bronzed Cowbird, Molothrus aeneus
• Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis
• Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater

It excludes the non-brood parasitic Bay-winged Cowbird Agelaioides [formerly Molothrus] badius. Binomial name Molothrus oryzivorus (Gmelin, 1788) The Giant Cowbird, Molothrus oryzivorus, is a large passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. ... Binomial name Molothrus aeneus (Wagler, 1829) The Bronzed Cowbird (once known as the Red-eyed Cowbird), Molothrus aeneus, is a small icterid. ... Binomial name Molothrus bonariensis (Gmelin, 1788) The Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis, is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. ... Binomial name Molothrus ater Boddaert, 1783 The Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater, is a small icterid. ...

These birds feed on insects, including the large numbers that may be stirred up by cattle. In order for the birds to be able to be nimble and stay with the herd, they have adapted by laying their eggs in other birds' nests. The cowbird will watch for when its host lays eggs, and when the nest is left unattended, the female will come in and lay its own eggs. Classes & Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrate animals of the Class Insecta, the largest and (on land) most widely-distributed taxon within the phylum Arthropoda. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (called cows in vernacular usage, or kine [archaic]) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ...

The cowbird eggs do not look much different than the hosts' eggs, and the host will normally incubate the eggs. The cowbird chicks grow quickly, and may consume most of the food the host brings. If starvation does not kill the other birds, in some species the cowbird will use its large size to push the other chicks out of the nest.