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Like Brown-headed Cowbirds, these granivores parasitize nests of other species. Favoring urban centers, Bronzed Cowbirds have spread south and east from the New Orleans area (where they were first found breeding in the state) to Morgan City, Houma, Grand Isle, Venice, and towns along the Mississippi River. Bronzed Cowbirds in Louisiana may be descended from birds that invaded Florida in the 1960's.
photo Copyright © 1999 by Bill Bergen
male (female is paler and lacks the nape ruff)
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These urban-tolerant, colonial, and branch-nesting omnivores are widespread in open country, especially in areas with scattered, large trees. They feed commonly on lawns, perhaps competing with House Sparrows and European Starlings for food.
painting by Louis Agassiz Fuertes 1914
female (behind male)
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These urban-tolerant and colonial omnivores are very common in the Coastal Marsh Region throughout southern Louisiana. They nest in reeds, in shrubs, and even atop baldcypress stumps and snags. The "boat" in the name refers to the pronounced dip or keel formed by the central tail feathers, a trait shared by Great-tailed and Common grackles.
photos Copyright © 1999 by Brian Miller
displaying male (left) and female (right)