284 BIRDS 



COWBIRD 



Our common Cowbird is found from the Atlantic west 

 to the Plains; nesting from Texas to New Brunswick and 

 Manitoba, wintering in southern Illinois south. It derives 

 its name from the habit of feeding around cattle. Often 

 several may be seen gathered about the feet of cattle, and 

 even alighting upon the backs of the animals, where they 

 search for ticks and other parasitic insects. They also 

 destroy great numbers of flies and other annoying pests 

 about cattle, and also feed upon worms, grubs, and other 

 insect life which they are apt to obtain from nearby places, 

 as plowed fields. They also consume a small amount of 

 grain; but for their parasitic habits, they would be a most 

 useful bird. 



The head and throat of the male during the spring and 

 summer months is cinnamon brown, the other parts of the 

 plumage a glossy black. The female is dull brownish, 

 without an)'^ luster to the plumage. 



The call note of the cowbird is a sound not unlike the 

 whistle of a woodcock's wing. These polygamous birds 

 move about in groups of three to six, and the females seem 

 to outnumber the males in the ratio of about two to one. 

 The South Atlantic and Gulf States are the home of the 

 dwarf cowbird, a distinct species, but very similar in habits. 

 West of the Mississippi and northward into Canada is the 

 range of the red-eyed cowbird, which, unlike its near rela- 

 tive, lays a light blue unspotted egg. 



Like the European cuckoo in one respect only, the 



