Brown-headed Cowbird
Molothrus ater
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyIcteridae (Ictèrids)
- GenusMolothrus (Cowbirds)
- SpeciesMolothrus ater (Brown-headed Cowbird)
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. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-headed Cowbird sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve, based on 62 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Big Cypress National Preserve
Shiny Cowbird
Molothrus bonariensis
Bronzed Cowbird
Molothrus aeneus
Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Boat-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus major
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Eastern Meadowlark
Sturnella magna
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Bobolink
Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Cacicus cela
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Palm Warbler
Setophaga palmarum
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Brown-headed Cowbird in Big Cypress National Preserve?
About 3% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-headed Cowbird sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve, based on 62 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Brown-headed Cowbird in Big Cypress National Preserve?
July has the highest sighting rate for Brown-headed Cowbird in Big Cypress National Preserve in our monthly data.