Brown-headed Cowbird Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Song
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Maryland, March 30, 1997Recorded by Wil Hershberger | Macaulay Library
Song and flight calls
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New York, April 16, 2009Recorded by Martha Fischer | Macaulay Library
Calls
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California, May 01, 2002Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller | Macaulay Library
Calls
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California, June 27, 1996Recorded by Curtis Marantz | Macaulay Library
Flock calls
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Texas, March 09, 1958Recorded by Arthur A. Allen | Macaulay Library
Begging calls
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New York, June 27, 1967Recorded by Bruce A. Sorrie | Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

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

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.