Brown headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) are called brood parasites, birds that lay eggs in other birds’ nests. It’s said that up to 150 different species in North America are parasitized by cowbirds and the host parents then raise the young. Needless to say, cowbirds are generally looked upon with loathing. Whenever I see this species near our bluebird house, I am out the door clapping and shooing the scourges away.
That is until a fledgling cowbird nearly landed in my lap a few days ago. It had been reared by a tiny chipping sparrow and now it seemed abandoned. I watched as it chased every chipping sparrow it saw, more than a dozen around the feeder at a given time. All flew away or scurried to hide when this big baby ran at them, mouth open, flapping wings, and warbling like a baby chipping sparrow.
After watching it beg for a day with no food, I broke down and fed it a few mealworms.
And now the fledgling flies to me several times a day! That makes me wonder how the heck it can learn to be a cowbird. It is still excited to see a chipping sparrow but absolutely thrilled when it sees me open the door. Hey, you are a cowbird, little guy!
I’ve seen cowbirds walking in the grass nearby but our fella doesn’t seem at all interested. With a Google search, I found Matthew Louder, an ecologist, who states in Animal Behavior journal that the juvenile cowbirds leave the host’s territory at sunset, perhaps encountering adult cowbirds in wooded areas, returning to their hosts in the morning, thus fostering independence.
But it doesn’t explain how juveniles locate and recognize their own kind. Does our little fledgling fly to the woods when the sun sets to meet up with other cowbirds? We don’t know. But, each day it is standing at the door when we rise at 6 a.m.
Fly away soon, little cowbird. Fly far, far, far, far away and never come back to lay an egg in our bluebird box!
Life is complicated even in the feathered community. 🙂
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I’m trying to ignore it but it’s all but ringing the doorbell for meals. Big mistake to get him through the first few days!
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Oh, but how could you have ignored the poor little thing?
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Whew! It has flown the coop and joined the cowbirds… wherever that may be.
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Oh, yay for you! See – you did the right thing & can feel like a grand person & all is well. Please wish me the same luck. A couple weeks ago I saw a young mother cat with two baby kittens in our back tree line. (We are in the country – very few neighbors- so I doubt they have a home.)Totally feral – we can’t get anywhere near them. But, of course, we are feeding them. On a good note – the last feral cat we adopted is now laying so close to me keyboard that I can barely type.
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So sweet! I’ve adopted many a feral with happy outcomes. 🐱
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I’ve always thought it comical when I see a Chipping Sparrow feeding a cowbird fledgling that’s twice its size. I think the sparrow must be exhausted trying to satisfy that big baby. Maybe your little cowbird will never learn to be a real cowbird, thus not posing a problem to your bluebirds. We can only hope….
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I do feel sorry for those little sparrows. We have so many chipping sparrows… fledglings and adults… then add this Baby Hugo cowbird that won’t leave them alone.
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Awww! Poor little bird! He reminds me of the children’s book, Are You My Mother, about a little bird who falls out of his nest. I hope your little friend finds his way independently out into the real world.
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That was one of my children’s favorite childhood books… now reading it to grandchildren. 💕
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It’s a favorite in our home, too! My youngest had it completely memorized by the age of two, and she would “read” the book to us sometimes. It was so cute!
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I’ve had a bunch of such encounters over the years, and I always try to stay out of it and I never can. Sometimes it ends well, usually not. Many tears have been shed.
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