Brown-headed Cowbird

The Brown-headed Cowbird is a stocky, blackbird-sized species with a short, thick seed-eating bill. Males are glossy black with a distinct rich brown head, while females are a plain grayish-brown overall. They are notorious obligate brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other songbirds.

Rich dark brown to nearly black coloration with a uniform matte appearance and subtle glossy sheen under direct light.

Pennaceous upper portion with tightly interlocked barbs and barbicels, transitioning to a slightly more plumulaceous base.

Central rachis is thin, light-colored (whitish to pale tan) near the base and tapering into a darker shaft matching the vane.

Smooth, slightly stiff along the main vane, with a soft downy base; overall matte to satin finish.

Body contour feather, likely from the breast, back, or upper flank region.

Uniform dark brown to black coloration, medium-small passerine contour shape, pale calamus/base of the rachis.

Open country, agricultural fields, pastures, edges of woods, and suburban residential areas.

Widespread across North America, breeding from southern Canada down through the United States to Mexico, with year-round residency in the southern and western portions.

Acts as an obligate brood parasite that can significantly impact the reproductive success of host songbird species, sometimes leading to conservation concerns for vulnerable hosts.

Red-winged Blackbird body feathers or European Starling feathers, which typically show more iridescence or spotting.

Brown-headed Cowbirds do not build their own nests or raise their young. Females monitor host nests, remove a host egg, and replace it with their own, leaving other bird species to raise their chicks.

No significant traditional cultural or commercial use, though studied extensively by ornithologists for its unique reproductive behavior.

Look in open grassy areas, near livestock, or woodland edges where cowbirds congregate in mixed flocks with other blackbirds.

Good condition with intact barbs and minimal fraying at the edges.

Found in Raleigh NC