Editing Cowbird (section)

{{Short description|Genus of birds}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Brown headed cowbird female in JBWR (25487).jpg
| image_caption = Female brown-headed cowbird
| taxon = Molothrus
| authority = [[William Swainson|Swainson]], 1832
| type_species = ''[[Brown-headed cowbird|Fringilla pecoris]]''<ref name=HM4>{{cite web |url= https://www.aviansystematics.org/4th-edition-checklist?viewfamilies=199 |title= Icteridae |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website= aviansystematics.org |publisher= The Trust for Avian Systematics |access-date= 2023-07-16}}</ref>
| type_species_authority = [[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin, JF]], 1789
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = * ''[[Screaming cowbird|M. rufoaxillaris]]''
* ''[[Giant cowbird|M. oryzivorus]]''
* ''[[Shiny cowbird|M. bonariensis]]''
* ''[[Bronzed cowbird|M. aeneus]]''
* ''[[Bronze-brown cowbird|M. armenti]]''
* ''[[Brown-headed cowbird|M. ater]]''
}}

'''Cowbirds''' are [[bird]]s belonging to the [[genus]] '''''Molothrus''''' in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Icteridae]]. They are of [[New World]] origin, but some species not native to North America are invasive there, and are obligate [[brood parasite]]s, laying their eggs in the nests of other species.

The genus was introduced by English naturalist [[William Swainson]] in 1832 with the [[brown-headed cowbird]] (''Molothrus ater'') as the [[type species]].<ref>{{ cite book | last1=Swainson | first1=William | author1-link=William Swainson | last2=Richardson | first2=J. | author2-link=John Richardson (naturalist) | year=1831 | title=Fauna boreali-americana, or, The zoology of the northern parts of British America | volume=Part 2. The Birds | publisher=J. Murray | place=London | page=277 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41549684 }} The title page bears the year 1831 but the volume did not appear until 1832.</ref><ref>{{ cite book | editor-last=Paynter | editor-first=Raymond A. Jr | year=1968 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World | volume=14 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=195 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14481396 }}</ref> The genus name combines the [[Ancient Greek]] {{Transliteration|grc|mōlos}}, meaning "struggle" or "battle", with {{Transliteration|grc|thrōskō}}, meaning "to sire" or "to impregnate".<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url=https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997 | url-access=limited | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=[https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997/page/n258 258] }}</ref> The English name "cowbird", first recorded in 1839, refers to this species often being seen near cattle.<ref name=OED>{{Cite OED | Cowbird}}</ref>