Brown-headed Cowbird

We see the Brown-headed Cowbird in our garden but wait till you read about their tricks.

Latin name: Molothrus ater

Length, wingspan: 7.5″, 12″

What they eat: Seeds and insects

Plants that attract: Open meadows, grasslands, orchards

Where they nest: They lay their eggs in other birds’ nests. (see my observations below)

My observations: The Brown-headed Cowbird is a type of blackbird with a rather unusual breeding behavior. Instead of building their own nest and raising their own young, they lay their eggs in other birds’ nests. On top of that, they expect the unwitting adoptive parents to raise them as their own. Unfortunately, this often means at least some of the other occupants of the nest won’t make it. That’s because young cowbirds grow quickly and act aggressively toward the “true” young of the adoptive parents. I used to think cowbirds were both innocuous and cool-looking. Once I learned their little secret, my opinion changed. This behavior is very similar to what the cuckoo bird does. Cowbirds make rather strange vocalizations that sound to me like they’re gargling while singing!

For more details about this bird, go to Cornell’s All About Birds website.

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