ML62048321
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Adult Female - X
- Sounds
- Call
- Playback
- Playback not used
Media notes
Rattle calls. This recording was made before I used playback.
Observation details
One cowbird gave us pause, after a recent report of Shiny Cowbird from this location. Since we bird this area frequently and have never encountered Shiny Cowbird here, we were newly 'alert' to the possibility of this species. When the bird gave rattle calls, we compared them in the field to calls from the Merlin app, and these calls matched Shiny Cowbird perfectly, and did not match Merlin's Bronzed Cowbird calls. The bird even responded to these Shiny Cowbird rattle calls by giving identical calls in response, then flying in our direction as if inspecting the source of the calls. However, rattle calls are given by mostly females of several cowbird species, including Bronzed and Shiny, and do not serve to differentiate between the species. While this bird lacked a ruff, it did have red eyes, indicating adult female Bronzed Cowbird. Interestingly, these are the first rattle calls for Bronzed Cowbird in Macaulay Library.
Technical information
- Recorder
- iPhone SE
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 3.53 MB