 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
Click for a larger version or to add map overlays |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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0.981 (0.463 - 1.49)
-0.88 (-1.15 - -0.62)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
Obligate brood parasites, Brown-headed Cowbirds lay their eggs in other species' nests and entrust care of their young entirely to the hosts. Its range now extends north to southeastern Alaska, southwest Northwest Territories, and Newfoundland, and south to central Mexico. It winters on the Pacific Coast of the US in the west, and from southern Ontario to south-central Mexico in the east (Lowther 1993).
Before European settlement, Brown-headed Cowbird habitat across North America was limited to open grasslands and riparian woodlands that bordered creeks and rivers. With European settlement and forest fragmentation by forestry, roads, and settlement, the Brown-headed Cowbird's range expanded substantially, and its accessibility to hosts was thereby increased (Lowther 1993).
Brown-headed Cowbirds are common throughout the southern half of the province. Because its breeding is tied to the hosts' breeding, survival rests on an adequate supply of suitable hosts. Declines of many host populations in recent decades and their earlier arrival and egg-laying in spring may impact the Brown-headed Cowbird in ways currently unforeseen.
Original text by Spencer G. Sealy. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Brown-headed Cowbird in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Brown-headed Cowbird in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=BHCO&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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