Bird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Molothrus ater

Lives in West Virginia all year and nests here. Found in all 55 counties, across 8 habitats.

Here: All year
Nesting: Nests here
Range: All 55 counties
Habitats: 8

Male Brown-headed Cowbird, whole bird — **Male**. (c) cello caruso-turiello, some rights reserved (CC BY). CC BY. iNaturalist photo 656878277. iNaturalist large derivative; no local crop or retouch.

At a glance

Group: Birds
Here: All year
Nesting: Nests here
Range: All 55 counties
Habitats: 8
Habitat models: Year-round

Where it lives

The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.

Habitats in West Virginia 8

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 8

Disturbed and introduced wetlands

Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Year-round

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Year-roundAllegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Hardwood; Central Appalachian Pine-Oak Rocky Woodland

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Year-roundSouth-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Forest Modifier; Central Interior and Appalachian Floodplain Systems; Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian; South-Central Interior Large Floodplain

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

Year-roundDisturbed/Successional - Shrub Regeneration; Successional Shrub/Scrub (Other); Harvested Forest - Shrub Regeneration

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Year-roundSouth-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Year-roundDeveloped, Open Space; Pasture/Hay; Disturbed/Successional - Grass/Forb Regeneration; Utility Swath - Herbaceous; Ruderal Upland - Old Field

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

Year-roundCentral Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian

Tree plantations and managed pine

Planted or intensively managed stands of pine or hardwoods grown for timber; a land use rather than a natural community.

Year-roundDeciduous Plantation; Evergreen Plantation or Managed Pine; Managed Tree Plantation

Other habitats in its models (52)

Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in West Virginia.

Developed, Low Intensity Year-round.
Orchards Vineyards and Other High Structure Agriculture Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest Year-round.
Ridge and Valley Calcareous Valley Bottom Glade and Woodland Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier Year-round.
Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Dry Upland Hardwood Forest Year-round.
South Florida Hardwood Hammock Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry and Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Woodland Modifier Year-round.
Central Interior Highlands Dry Acidic Glade and Barrens Year-round.
Florida Peninsula Inland Scrub Year-round.
North-Central Oak Barrens Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Glade and Barrens Year-round.
Nashville Basin Limestone Glade Year-round.
Cumberland Sandstone Glade and Barrens Year-round.
Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens Year-round.
Western Great Plains Mesquite Woodland and Shrubland Year-round.
Eastern Highland Rim Prairie and Barrens - Dry Modifier Year-round.
Central Mixedgrass Prairie Year-round.
Florida Dry Prairie Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Prairie and Woodland Year-round.
Recently Logged Areas Year-round.
Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Year-round.
Recently Burned Year-round.
Recently Burned Forest Year-round.
Recently Burned Grassland Year-round.
Recently Burned Shrubland Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Shrub Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Forbland Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Annual Grassland Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland and Forbland Year-round.
Lower Mississippi River Bottomland Depressions - Forest Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Large Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Herbaceous Modifier Year-round.
South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Year-round.
Western Great Plains Floodplain Systems Year-round.
Eastern Great Plains Floodplain Systems Year-round.
Mississippi River Riparian Forest Year-round.
Mississippi River Low Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Small Floodplain and Riparian Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Brownwater River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Red River Large Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Mississippi River Floodplain and Riparian Forest Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Year-round.