A bird that always flies in the fog is called a dingbat.

“In response to a ridiculous statement by Edith: ” I’ve gotta quote for you, Edith. ‘A bird that always flies in the fog is called a dingbat.’ “”
An Archie Bunker (All in the Family – TV show) quotation

Shiny Cowbird: Have you seen this bird?

Shiny Cowbird

The Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis, is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae.

It is a bird associated with open woodland and cultivation. It breeds in most of South America apart from the most dense jungles, mountains and deserts, the coldest southernmost regions, and on Trinidad and Tobago.

Identification Tips:
• Length: ? inches
• Long, thin, pointed bill
• Dark eyes
• Frequents open habitats
• Range in United States limited to south Florida but strays have occurred to Maine-range is expanding northward

Adult male:
• Black iridiscent plumage

Adult female:
• Grayish-brown plumage-darker on upperparts
• Juveniles similar to adults
Similar species:
The Shiny Cowbird is smaller and shorter-tailed than blackbirds and grackles. Male Shiny Cowbird can be told from male Brown-headed Cowbird by its lack of a brown head. Male Bronzed Cowbird has red eyes and a thicker bill. Female Shiny Cowbird very similar to female Brown-headed Cowbird but has longer, more pointed bill.

This abundant and gregarious bird feeds mainly on insects and some seeds, including rice, and forages on the ground or perches on cattle.

Like most other cowbirds, it is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of many other bird species.

Extermination of the Shiny Cowbird within the tiny range of the Pale-headed Brush-finch has resulted in a population increase in this critically endangered species.