DCHP-1 Online

buffalo bird

• a small, black bird, Molothrus ater, having a short bill and bright eyes, noted for its practice of laying eggs in the nests of other birds and for its symbiotic attendance on cattle.

  See also: cowbird  

  • 1909  One autumn day a young buffalo bird lay almost under his [a buffalo's] feet.
  • 1955  In bygone days when there were no domestic cattle on the plains . . . these [cow] birds were seasonal companions of the shaggy buffalo, hence the name buffalo-bird. Later, when the buffalo herds disappeared, they became friendly with the stock on the ranches and farms and have since been known as cowbirds.