Main Entry:

cow·bird

Pronunciation:

\-ˌbərd\

Function:

noun

Date:

1810

: any of a genus (Molothrus of the family Icteridae) of New World blackbirds that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds ; especially : one (M. ater) widespread in the United States and southern Canada in which the male is black with a brown head and the female is gray