General Description: Bronzed Cowbirds (Molothrus aeneus) are medium-sized blackbirds with a heavy bill and red eyes. Males are glossy black, and females are brown overall with fine streaking on the belly. Males often puff up the feathers on the neck, giving them a very big-headed appearance.

Taxonomy: Passeriformes, Icteridae.

Favored Habitat: Open habitats, wooded canyons, and riparian areas, and with cattle and horses. They like to roost in marshes.

Where to Find: Don't look for Bronzed Cowbirds around Las Vegas; rather look to the south in southern Arizona east to Texas. This bird made a rare appearance in Cornerstone Park in Henderson, so perhaps with climate change, these birds are moving north.

Comments: These birds breed by laying eggs in the nests of other birds. The cowbird hatchling then kicks the other eggs or nestlings out of the nest, leaving the hapless parents to feed and raise a cowbird.