cowbird

American  

[kou-burd] / ˈkaʊˌbɜrd /

noun

1. any of several New World blackbirds of the genus Molothrus, especially M. ater, of North America, that accompany herds of cattle.

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cowbird British  

/ ˈkaʊˌbɜːd /

noun

1. any of various American orioles of the genera Molothrus, Tangavius, etc, esp M. ater (common or brown-headed cowbird). They have a dark plumage and short bill

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Etymology

Origin of cowbird

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; cow ¹ + bird

Example Sentences

“Sixteen hours after the experiment, the birds are still behaving as if there’s a cowbird threat,” Hauber says.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 15, 2021

They’re the victims of a “brood parasite” called the cowbird, which adds its own egg to their clutch, tricking another species into raising its offspring.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 15, 2021

Fish and Wildlife Service credited teamwork among numerous agencies and nonprofit groups with the survival of the warbler, which had fallen victim to its own picky habitat demands and competition from the predatory brown-headed cowbird.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 8, 2019

In other words, a cowbird raised in a warbler nest somehow knows that it cannot stick around and mate with a warbler.

From Washington Post • Jun. 29, 2017

Her song brightened the cold gray day so that a cowbird thought it was spring and began to sing in the old oak tree.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman