Anguilla, Antigua And Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, St Kitts And Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay (B), USA (B), Venezuela, Virgin Islands (British) (B) (NB), Virgin Islands (U.S.) (B) (NB).
Vagrant to Aruba, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Mexico.
Introduced to Jamaica.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 200,000,000 (2010).
Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) [XC273153]
by Roney Souza from El Condor, Pampa de Achala, C\u00f3rdoba, Argentina (call)
Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus) [XC275166]
by Jerome Fischer from Esmeraldas: El Placer, Ecuador (song, alternate song)
Subspecies
Closely related to Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), and much resembling it in habits, general behaviour and voice.
Proposed subspecies melanogyna (Paraná, Brazil), with females blackish (almost as black as males), now considered a dark colour morph of nominate, as also is proposed subspecies milleri (Mato Grosso, Brazil). Origin of isolated Chilean population of nominate subspecies uncertain. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA desirable.
The following 7 subspecies are recognised:
minimus Dalmas, 1900 - South-eastern USA (Florida), West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, the Guianas and extreme northern Brazil (R Branco).
cabanisii Cassin, 1866 - Eastern Costa Rica, Panama and western Colombia.
venezuelensis Stone, 1891 - Northern Venezuela and eastern Colombia.
aequatorialis Chapman, 1915 - South-western Colombia and western Ecuador.
occidentalis von Berlepsch & Stolzmann, 1892 - Extreme south-western Ecuador (Loja) and western Peru.
riparius Griscom & Greenway, 1937 - Eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and Amazon Valley in Brazil (east to Obídos).
bonariensis (Gmelin, 1789) - Central and eastern Brazil (south of R Amazon) south to eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina (south to central Santa Cruz). Also Chile (Coquimbo Region south to Aysén).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet