Brown-headed Cowbirds
Right now, we have a few Brown-headed Cowbirds on the platform feeder several times every day. Sometimes it is 3 or more males, but often there will be 1 female with them. Here in central Illinois, this is normal spring behavior for them and appears to be part of their courting ritual. What you will most often see is 3-5 males and 1 female and she will be the one leading the males around as they fly from place to place. It is thought the female will finally choose to mate with one of these males – however, much more observation of cowbirds is needed.
The female does not construct a nest but will lay her eggs in another bird’s nest. There are two possible outcomes to this. Either that female, or female and male, will raise the cowbird as one of their own, often at the expense of their own young, or the female will recognize this egg is not hers and either roll it out of the nest, puncture it, or build another nest right over top of it – and any eggs she has laid. The male and female cowbird do not construct nests or raise young – they rely other birds do all this for them.
However, it is now thought that the female cowbird may not completely abandon her eggs. There are observations by experts studying cowbirds that the female often stays close by, hidden and motionless, and simply watches the nest where she laid the egg, and the female whose nest it is. As far as I know, the female cowbird never intervenes to take over or to defend – she just watches.
So, what you are seeing on the platform is the female cowbird with her male entourage. In a few weeks, it will be unusual to see any female cowbirds at the feeder, but the males will continue to come and interact with each other. You might occasionally see a female cowbird or two at the large birdbath on hot afternoons. Several times a week, you will see males bathe over the course of the afternoon. This camera should be up and running soon. Right now it is too cold. If you have been watching our bird feeders, you know there has been a heated birdbath there all winter and although birds do drink from time to time, none are bathing. We need a string of hot sunny days before birds start their regular bath rituals.
Do you have Brown-headed Cowbirds? And what are their spring and courting rituals? Please post what you are observing in the Public Forum.
