Back شحارير البقر Arabic شحارير البقر ARZ Nabala (Molothrus) AVK Molothrus Breton Molothrus Catalan Molothrus CEB Kuhstärlinge German Molotro Esperanto Molothrus Spanish گاومرغ Persian
| Cowbird | |
|---|---|
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| Female brown-headed cowbird | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Icteridae |
| Genus: | Molothrus Swainson, 1832 |
| Type species | |
| Fringilla pecoris[1] Gmelin, JF, 1789
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| Species | |
Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus Molothrus in the family Icteridae. They are of New World origin, but invasive to North America, and are obligate brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species.
The genus was introduced by English naturalist William Swainson in 1832 with the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) as the type species.[2][3] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek mōlos, meaning "struggle" or "battle", with thrōskō, meaning "to sire" or "to impregnate".[4] The English name "cowbird", first recorded in 1839, refers to this species often being seen near cattle.[5]
- ^ "Icteridae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- ^ Swainson, William John; Richardson, J. (1831). Fauna boreali-americana, or, The zoology of the northern parts of British America. Vol. Part 2. The Birds. London: J. Murray. p. 277. The title page bears the year 1831 but the volume did not appear until 1832.
- ^ Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1968). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 195.
- ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 258. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ "Cowbird". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)