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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Perching Birds (Order Passeriformes)

-New World Blackbirds and Orioles (Family Icteridae)

-New World Orioles (Genus Icterus)

-Cowbirds (Genus Molothrus)

-Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus)


The Bronzed Cowbird forages for seeds and grains on the ground, usually in flocks. Dark brown to matte black; males with iridescent bluish wings. Thick neck and heavy bill. Found in a variety of open or semi-open areas, including pastures, forest edge, yards, and agricultural areas. Like all cowbirds, this bird is an obligate brood parasite; it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. The young cowbird is fed by the host parents at the expense of their own young. Their diet is mainly seeds and insects, along with snails during breeding season as a source of calcium.

Bronzed Cowbird

Molothrus aeneus

Diet

  • Primarily seeds and grains, including grasses, weeds, rice, corn, sorghum, and other agricultural crops.

  • Also feeds on insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, ants, termites, and spiders, especially during the breeding season.

  • Commonly forages on the ground in fields, pastures, roadsides, and open woodlands, often alongside livestock.

Range

  • Found from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, and into northwestern Colombia.

  • Widespread throughout Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a common year-round resident.

  • Inhabits open woodlands, tropical dry forests, agricultural fields, ranchlands, pastures, forest edges, parks, gardens, and urban areas.

  • Like other cowbirds, it is an obligate brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other bird species.

Male / Female

  • Male: Glossy black plumage with a striking bronze-green iridescent sheen over much of the body, bright red eyes, and a stout black bill.

  • Female: Smaller and duller, with dark brown to blackish-brown plumage, little or no iridescence, and dark red to reddish-brown eyes.

  • The sexes are easily distinguished by the male's glossy iridescence and the female's dull brown coloration.

Size

  • Length: 19–22 cm (7.5–8.7 in)

  • Wingspan: 33–38 cm (13–15 in)

  • Weight: 50–70 g

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