Brown-headed Cowbird

LC - Least Concern

N5B - Secure

SNRB - Unranked Breeding

not listed

7½″ to 8¾″ in length

Woodland edges, fields, prairies, meadows.

Common to abundant

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map

Under the bird feeders near the Visitors’ Center

Spring mating ritual

A female Brown-headed Cowbird in a young sapling in The Big Stone Nation Wildlife Refuge.

Male

Female

Share your video of this bird.

Location: Hampshire, UK

I live in Hampshire, UK.

Over the last week we have noticed 3 Brownheaded Cowbirds in our back garden.
We have listened to its song on your website and it looks and sounds the same. We have woods and fields near by as we live in a village location. We have both been trying to photograph them but without luck (novice birdwatcher and still learning photography)

We notice that one stays around for most of the day but the other 2 disappear quite quickly. The local blackbirds have been trying to shoo it away but he/she is standing their ground.

Can you tell us if they travel this far. There are reported sightings further north around 8 sightings in individual areas but we are near the coast but also inland in the south. If that makes sense.

Would be grateful for feedback.

Apologies if we have contacted you in error but found your website useful.

You already know as much as I have been able to find out. If you have sightings in Sheffield, it is only a matter of time before there are sightings further south. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.

I can’t help but think of the introduction of the European Starling into New York Central Park in 1890. Today the species is common across the continent. The birds eat berries and agricultural crops, and aggressively drive away native bird species. It is considered invasive.

Brown-headed Cowbird is a brood parasite. I expect it will become as unwelcome in your country as the European Starling is in ours.

Location: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Long Meadow Lake Unit

Under the bird feeders near the Visitors’ Center

Location: Central Bloomington near 86th & Penn Ave So

Had never seen this bird before. It was unmistakably a male B-H Cowbird in our yard eating seed from a feeder

Location: Washington County

Spring mating ritual

Location: Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge

A female Brown-headed Cowbird in a young sapling in The Big Stone Nation Wildlife Refuge.

Location: Arlington, Minnesota (Sibley County)

I have never seen this bird before and had to come to this site to figure out what it was.  Today, I have a half a dozen of them pecking at seeds on the ground that fell under my bird feeder.