Listen to the Brown-headed cowbird
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Brown-headed cowbird
The Brown-headed cowbird is a bird in the family Icteridae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”.
What does the Brown-headed cowbird sound like?
Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
The recordings here are labelled as call and song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) is a small, obligate brood parasitic icterid native to temperate and subtropical North America. It is a permanent resident in the southern parts of its range; northern birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico in winter, returning to their summer habitat around March or April.
Related birds in the genus Molothrus
More from the family Icteridae
Red-winged blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Baltimore oriole
Icterus galbula
Venezuelan troupial
Icterus icterus
Common grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Great-tailed grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Yellow-headed blackbird
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
Yellow-rumped cacique
Cacicus cela
Eastern meadowlark
Sturnella magna
Crested oropendola
Psarocolius decumanus
Yellow-billed cacique
Amblycercus holosericeus
Frequently asked questions
What does a Brown-headed cowbird sound like?
You can hear 6 recordings of the Brown-headed cowbird on this page, including its call and song. Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
Is the Brown-headed cowbird endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Brown-headed cowbird as “least concern”.
What family does the Brown-headed cowbird belong to?
The Brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) belongs to the family Icteridae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Call, song · Minnesota Valley NWR, Bass Ponds, Hennepin, Minnesota… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Bancroft Neighborhood, Minneapolis, Hennepin County… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Grey Cloud Dunes SNA, Washington, Minnesota, United States by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Grey Cloud Dunes SNA, Washington, Minnesota, United States by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call, song · Wild River State Park, Chisago County, Minnesota, United… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Miesville Ravine Park Reserve, Goodhue County, Minnesota… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q901568 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Brown-headed cowbird – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Rhododendrites – CC BY-SA 4.0