The grayish baywing (''Agelaioides badius''), formerly known as the bay-winged cowbird, is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the family

Icteridae Icterids () or New World blackbirds make up a family, the Icteridae (), of small to medium-sized, often colorful, New World passerine birds. The family contains 108 species and is divided into 30 genera. Most species have black as a predominant ...

. It is currently placed in the genus ''Agelaioides'' but has traditionally been placed in the genus ''

Molothrus Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus ''Molothrus'' in the family Icteridae. They are of New World origin, but some species not native to North America are invasive there, and are obligate brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of ot ...

''. It is found in the northern half of Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern and central Brazil, The isolated population in north-eastern Brazil is usually now considered a separate species, the pale baywing (''Agelaioides fringillarius''). The greyish baywing has been recorded as a vagrant in Chile.

Description and behavior

It has a total length of approximately 18 cm (7 in). It is overall ashy-brown with contrasting black lores and

rufous Rufous () is a color that may be described as reddish-brown or brownish- red, as of rust or oxidised iron. The first recorded use of ''rufous'' as a color name in English was in 1782. However, the color is also recorded earlier in 1527 as a d ...

wings. The

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

''fringillarius'' has more black in the face and is overall more rufescent (less ashy). It is social and commonly seen in small groups. Unlike the "true"

cowbird Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus ''Molothrus'' in the family Icteridae. They are of New World origin, but some species not native to North America are invasive there, and are obligate brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of o ...

s in the genus ''Molothrus'', this species is not a

brood parasite Brood may refer to: Nature * Brood, a collective term for offspring * Brooding, the incubation of bird eggs by their parents * Bee brood, the young of a beehive * Individual broods of North American periodical cicadas: ** Brood X, the largest ...

. In contrast, the

screaming cowbird The screaming cowbird (''Molothrus rufoaxillaris'') is an obligate brood parasite belonging to the family Icteridae and is found in South America. It is also known commonly as the short billed cowbird.Fraga, R. M. (2011). Family Icteridae (New W ...

is a brood parasite of the grayish baywing, and while adult screaming cowbirds are overall blackish, juvenile screaming cowbirds closely resemble grayish baywings.

Habitat and status

It is found in a wide range of semi-open habitats, including scrub and light woodland. It is generally fairly common, and consequently considered to be of

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

and

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

References

Bibliography

* Ridgely, R. S.; & Tudor, G. (1989). ''The Birds of South America vol. 1 - The Oscine Passerines.'' Oxford University Press.

External links

Greyish bawing
in ''Fauna Paraguay''. * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1584315 grayish baywing Birds of Argentina Birds of Bolivia Birds of Brazil Birds of Paraguay Birds of Uruguay grayish baywing grayish baywing Taxonomy articles created by Polbot