This is a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird in our backyard. I first noticed him hanging out with our male Northern Cardinal, which I found odd. Then I learned that Cowbirds are famous for laying their eggs in the nests of other bird species instead of building their own. This is known as a brood parasite. Cowbirds do not raise their own chicks, but the unsuspecting birds who incubate the Cowbird’s eggs raise them instead.

Brown-headed Cowbird — Molothrus ater

SIZE:

• Male
  • Length: 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm)
  • Weight: 1.5-1.8 oz (42-50 g)
  • Wingspan: 14.2 in (36 cm)
• Female
  • Length: 6.3-7.9 in (16-20 cm)
  • Weight: 1.3-1.6 oz (38-45 g)
  • Wingspan: 12.6-15.0 in (32-38 cm)

LOCATION:

FOOD:

Cowbirds eat seeds from weeds and grasses and some grains. They live near cattle and bison and feed on Insects such as grasshoppers and beetles, that the large mammals stir into into motion.

This is our male Northern Cardinal named “Red” who is feeding the juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird.

Eventually, the juvenile Cowbirds leave their adoptive families and find other Cowbirds. Scientists are studying this phenomenon to figure out how they recognize their own species. Some think it’s through their sounds that they recognize other Cowbirds.

SOUNDS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird/sounds