Songs
- Song
Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller
California May 2002
- Female chatter and male song
Recorded by David S. Herr
Oregon June 1990
- Song
Recorded by Randolph Scott Little
California June 1996
Courtesy of Macaulay Library
© Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Male Brown-headed Cowbird sing a liquid-sounding series of low gurgling notes followed by thin sliding whistles, lasting slightly longer than 1 second. Song learning in cowbirds has been an interesting scientific puzzle, since the birds aren’t raised by members of their own species.
Calls
- Songs and calls
Recorded by Gregory F. Budney, David S. Herr
- Flight whistles
Recorded by Curtis A. Marantz
California June 1996
- Female chatter
Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller
California May 2002
Courtesy of Macaulay Library
© Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Both male and female Brown-headed Cowbirds make a variety of whistles, clicking and chattering calls. You’ll often hear flight whistles, which are a series of 2–5 clear sweeping whistles with occasional buzzes or trills mixed in. Females make a distinctive rolling chatter that is very attractive to males. Males give their own chatter calls less often. Both sexes may make a short cluck note while feeding.
Backyard Tips
Even though Brown-headed Cowbirds are native to North America, many people consider them a nuisance bird, since they destroy the eggs and young of smaller songbirds and have been implicated in the decline of several endangered species, including Kirtland's Warbler and Black-capped Vireo. Cowbirds often flock with other species of blackbirds, and they may come to your yard if it contains open ground or lawn, or if you scatter grain for ground birds. If your yard is large enough to keep livestock, there's a good chance you will find cowbirds there.
Find This Bird
Look for Brown-headed Cowbirds in fields, meadows, and lawns. During winter and migration, search through mixed-species blackbird flocks and look for the glossy black plumage and subtle brown head in males and the short, stout bill and unmarked brown of females. Learn the male’s gurgling song and the female’s chatter call, and you’ll hear them often.
Get Involved
Brown-headed Cowbirds are a focal bird species for the Celebrate Urban Birds! project. Conduct a 10-minute count and record whether or not you see cowbirds.
Visit NestWatch to learn how to observe and report activity at bird nests