CreatureData

Giant cowbird

Molothrus oryzivorus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The giant cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus) is a species in the family Icteridae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 155.5 g to 208 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Giant cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus)
Photo: Alastair Rae · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the giant cowbird

Weight
155.5 g – 208 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the giant cowbird live?

Not recorded

What is the giant cowbird?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The giant cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus) is a large passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina, and on Trinidad and Tobago. It may have relatively recently colonised the latter island. It is a brood parasite and lays its eggs in the nests of other birds.

From the Wikipedia article “Giant cowbird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Giant_cowbird&oldid=1320585840), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the giant cowbird endangered?

The giant cowbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the giant cowbird classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyIcteridae
  6. genusMolothrus
  7. SpeciesMolothrus oryzivorus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

Synonyms Molothrus oryzivora, Oriolus oryzivorus, Scaphidura oryzivora, Scaphidura oryzivora, Scaphidura oryzivora, Scaphidura oryzivora, Scaphidura oryzivora

Other names and names in other languages (32)
  • شحرور البقر العملاقArabic
  • vaquer gegantCatalan
  • vlhovec velkýCzech
  • KæmpekostærDanish
  • RiesenkuhstärlingGerman
  • giganta bovikteroEsperanto
  • Tordo giganteSpanish
  • Chamón giganteSpanish
  • vaquero giganteSpanish
  • Vaquero GrandeSpanish
  • kaulusturpiaaliFinnish
  • Vacher géantFrench
  • veliki čvorkašCroatian
  • óriás gulyajáróHungarian
  • Vaccaro giganteItalian
  • オオコウウチョウJapanese
  • didysis trupialasLithuanian
  • Grote KoevogelDutch
  • stortrupialNorwegian
  • starzyk wielkiPolish
  • IraúnaPortuguese
  • iraúna-grandePortuguese
  • vaqueiro-gigantePortuguese
  • Большой трупиалRussian
  • Большая воловья птицаRussian
  • zanášač veľkýSlovak
  • Džinovska kravaricaSerbian
  • jättekostareSwedish
  • Büyük inekkuşuTurkish
  • вашер великийUkrainian
  • 巨牛鸝Chinese
  • 巨牛鹂Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the giant cowbird

Other species in the same genus Molothrus.

CompareGiant cowbird vs Brown-headed cowbirdGiant cowbird vs Shiny cowbirdGiant cowbird vs Screaming cowbirdGiant cowbird vs Bronzed cowbird

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the giant cowbird?

An adult giant cowbird weighs 155.5 g – 208 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the giant cowbird endangered?

The giant cowbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the giant cowbird?

The giant cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus) belongs to the family Icteridae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Giant cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-cowbird

MLA

“Giant cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-cowbird.

BibTeX
@misc{giant_cowbird_2026,
  title = {Giant cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-cowbird},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}