Shiny Cowbird
Molothrus bonariensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyIcteridae (Ictèrids)
- GenusMolothrus (Cowbirds)
- SpeciesMolothrus bonariensis (Shiny Cowbird)
The shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds in most of South America except for dense forests and areas of high altitude such as mountains. Since 1900 the shiny cowbird's range has shifted northward, and it was recorded in the Caribbean islands as well as the United States, where it is found breeding in southern Florida. It is a bird associated with open habitats, including disturbed land from agriculture and deforestation. Adults are sexually dimorphic. Males are all black with a purple-blue iridescence. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Huascarán National Park
Scrub Blackbird
Dives warczewiczi
Peruvian Meadowlark
Sturnella bellicosa
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Zonotrichia capensis
Chiguanco Thrush
Turdus chiguanco
Southern House Wren
Troglodytes musculus
Peruvian Sierra-Finch
Phrygilus punensis
Hooded Siskin
Spinus magellanicus
Buff-winged Cinclodes
Cinclodes fuscus
Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch
Geospizopsis plebejus
Tit-like Dacnis
Xenodacnis parina
Plumbeous Sierra Finch
Geospizopsis unicolor
Rufous-eared Brush-Finch
Atlapetes rufigenis
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Shiny Cowbird at Huascarán National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there