people of the country. The laws made by
a state government affect only the
people of that state.
Almost all countries belong to an organization
called the United Nations, or
the UN. The UN tries to solve disagreements
between countries peacefully. It
meets in New York City.
#More to explore
Government • State Government
• United Nations
Country Music
Country music, also called country and
western, is a style of music that began in
the southern United States. The center
of country music is Nashville, Tennessee.
However, country music is played all
over the United States and as far away as
Australia. Many country songs are about
the lives of people in rural areas and
their difficulties.
Early country musicians played mostly
fiddles, banjos, guitars, and string basses.
Later musicians added electric basses,
pedal steel guitars, keyboards, and
drums.
Country music has its roots in the folk
music of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Settlers brought this music to
North America in the 1700s and 1800s.
People in the Appalachian Mountains
and other parts of the South created
their own form of this folk music. Radio
stations began broadcasting it in the
1920s. People called it hillbilly music
until the 1940s. It then became known
as country and western music.
The earliest popular performers of
country music included Jimmie
Rodgers and the Carter Family. In the
1930s such singers as Gene Autry and
Roy Rogers sang country songs in
movies about cowboys in the West. In
the 1940s new types of country music
included honky-tonk and bluegrass.
Honky-tonk featured steel guitars, while
bluegrass featured traditional banjos
and fiddles. Hank Williams helped
make honky-tonk popular. Bill Monroe
is considered the inventor of bluegrass.
Some leading country performers of the
1950s and 1960s were Patsy Cline,
Johnny Cash, TammyWynette, and
Merle Haggard. Later country stars
included Willie Nelson,Waylon Jen-
A country music group performs on a river
in Louisiana.
The young
Elvis Presley
and others
played a kind
of music that
combined rock
with country.
Their music
was sometimes
called rockabilly.
208 Country Music BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
nings, Dolly Parton, Randy Travis,
Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, and Lyle
Lovett.
#More to explore
Folk Music • Music • Nashville
Cowbird
As their name suggests, cowbirds often
live among cattle and other large mammals.
They feed on insects stirred up as
these animals graze. Cowbirds are songbirds
that are related to grackles, orioles,
meadowlarks, and most types of blackbird.
Cowbirds are common in North
America. The best-known species, or
type, is the brown-headed cowbird.
Another species, the bay-winged cowbird,
lives in South America.
Most male cowbirds have shiny black
feathers, while the females are usually
grayish brown. Male brown-headed
cowbirds have brown heads and black
bodies.
Bay-winged cowbirds are the only cowbirds
that build their own nests. Most
cowbird species lay their eggs in the
nests of other types of birds. These other
birds then sit on the cowbird eggs along
with their own. When a cowbird chick
hatches, the host birds often feed and
care for it as if it were their own. Cowbird
chicks tend to hatch a day or two
before the other birds. They also grow
quickly. These facts give them an advantage
over the other birds when it comes
to being fed.
#More to explore
Bird • Blackbird • Songbird
Coyote
The coyote is a wild member of the dog
family. Its scientific name is Canis
latrans. It is known for its cleverness and
its nighttime howls.
The coyote lives over a wide area, from
Alaska in the north to Central America
in the south. It can be found throughout
the continental United States. Sometimes
coyotes live near people, such as at
the edges of cities.
Coyotes are similar to wolves, but they
are smaller and more lightly built. Most
adult coyotes weigh 20–50 pounds
(9–23 kilograms) and are 3–4 feet
(1–1.2 meters) long, including the tail.
Their fur is long and full. Most coyotes
are grayish brown with white on the
The brown-headed cowbird lives
in North America.
The coyote is
one of North
America’s
fastest land
animals, with
a top speed of
40 miles
(64 kilometers)
per hour.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Coyote 209
throat and belly. They have bushy tails,
often with a black tip.
Coyotes are active mostly at night. They
often hunt alone, typically for rodents
and hares. Groups of coyotes, called
packs, may chase larger animals such as
sheep. Coyotes communicate with each
other using barks, yaps, and howls.
While chasing prey, they can run up to
40 miles (64 kilometers) per hour. Coyotes
also eat plants and dead animals.
Coyotes in captivity have lived 18 years
or more. The life span of wild coyotes,
however, is much shorter.
#More to explore
Dog •Wolf
Crab
#see Crustacean.
Crafts
#see Decorative Arts.
Cranberry
Cranberries are fruits with a sour taste.
People use cranberries to make sauces,
jellies, baked goods, and juice. Cranberries
contain minerals and vitamins A
and C.
Cranberries grow in wet, spongy soil in
places called bogs. Cranberries grow in
natural bogs in North America, Asia,
and Europe. People also grow cranberries
