Male is stocky, all dark, with glossy wings and tail, thick neck, heavy bill, and red eye. Females are duller, varying from gray to black, darker in eastern populations. Juvenile is grayish brown, lacks red eye, and has diffuse streaks underneath. Head and bill are larger than those of more widespread Brown-headed Cowbird.

Length: 22 (cm) Wingspan: 36 (cm)

Voice:

Buzzy whistles, gurgles, trills, rattles; call note a soft chuck.

Habitat:

Fields, edges, open woodlands, scrub, suburbs.

Behavior:

Like other cowbirds, females do not build their own nest, instead laying their eggs in nests of other birds. Males can expand the ruff around their neck to look like a hunchback. Sometimes seen near cattle, probing for insects in the animals' hides or stirred up underfoot.

Feeding:

Usually feeds on the ground; eats seeds and insects.