Atherton and Brooks (1989), Ogden (1989), and Paul (1987) have documented the recent arrival of the Shiny (Glossy) Cowbird in Florida. According to Raffaele (1983), this South American species expanded northward through the Lesser Antilles and by 1955 had reached Puerto Rico. Nest parasitism by this cowbird has contributed to the decline of Puerto Rico’s Yellow-headed Blackbird (Agelaius xanthomus) and other island endemics. The Shiny Cowbird continued to expand northward, reaching southern Florida in 1985 (Smith and Sprunt, 1987) and Jacksonville, in northern Florida, in 1988 (Atherton and Brooks, 1989). The species was first observed in Alabama by the author on 25 April 1990. Because the Shiny Cowbird is a new species for the state, the details of the record are presented in this paper.
Author: John T. Fulton
Volume Number: 37 Year Published: 1990
Issue Number: 1
Page Number: 1
Link to article: http://birdlife.aosbirds.org/1990/Vol 37 No. 1_1990_p1-3.pdf
Link to the full issue of BirdLife: http://birdlife.aosbirds.org/1990/Vol 37 No. 1_1990.pdf
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