Brown-Headed Cowbird

I am feeding the local parasite. A brown-headed cowbird was visiting our bird feeder today.

I know it's hardly anything rare or unusual, but when I was in junior high, our 7th grade science teacher was big time into identification. We learned how to identify over 78 different kinds of bird and waterfowl. We also learned how to identify some bird songs, owl faces, leaves, fish and turtles. I loved that class and it has served me well over the years.

One of those birds was a brown-headed cowbird, and I've never actually seen one ... until today.

He's a feisty sucker too. Won't share with the sparrows and they horn in on everyone's business.

a reply to: ketsuko

I've seen these for a few years now. At first I hated them because they practically took over the feeders and ran away the finches due to hogging the feeders. Yes, they do lay their eggs in other birds' nests so other birds raise them.

On a positive note, they do have a very pretty song.

a reply to: SirHardHarry

We had the feeders up for a period of time and then stopped using them. It's only a couple weeks ago that we started putting them up again.

In all the earlier time, I never had one visit. My usuals are sparrows, a couple finches, chickadees, cardinals. I pull in flickers, downy woopeckers and starlings (my nuisance bird) with the suet.

If I only ever see this one, then he can chase the sparrows off. If he leads in a mob more, I might have to rethink some things.

I looked up it's picture, and it's lovely! Black with a brown head. Nice sheen. Sort of reminds me of my Airedale.



Pict and audio of calls and song

www.allaboutbirds.org...

a reply to: ketsuko

They must be difficult to milk.

a reply to: ketsuko

I only have two types of feeders up: a homemade "trough style" one that is filled only with sunflower, and two finch feeders that were previously filled with finch food but now mainly fine regular bird seed.

I generally see tons of cardinals, chickadees, wrens, sparrows, finches (occasionally) a couple blue jays, only one or two cowbirds so far this year, a couple of red-bellied peckers, and a pair of doves. There are a couple of blue birds trying to make a home here, but they don't visit the feeders.

As for the cowbirds: once they take over, yeah they take over.

a reply to: ketsuko

Thanks for answering this. This past monday, i was out back early morning. When I saw a bird I've never seen before. The head was more grey than brown. And from it's shoulders to tail was more of a black ASH black( like it bathed in a charcoal grill) and didn't reflect the sunlight. There was only one, and here is this thread. It's almost a spitting image of what i saw. Thanks🤗.

a reply to: ketsuko

I love those guys. Growing up in ranch country, we had tons of these guys hanging around, and they followed the cow herds around constantly. They're wicked smart as well.

Every spring into early summer (I have tons of them now at my feeders) they arrive with the Red Winged Black Birds and Grackles... wetland swap birds.
They are quite annoying and LOUD and I get a workout chasing them from my feeders.
I hate the Brown Headed Cow bird with a passion because of what they do to our beautiful song birds ..laying eggs in their nests then our song birds raise the Cow Bird young as their own only to starve the poor normally smaller and weaker young song birds to death. They are very aggressive towards my tons of other beautiful birds who frequent my feeders and eat through enormous amounts of seed daily. I am lucky they are only here around 2 weeks in my area. I think next year I will stop feeding when they arrive. The only good thing about them is with them they bring the Evening Grossbeaks and the Red Throated Grossbeaks.
The Hummingbirds are back as of yesterday very early for our area here in NEPA the feeders will be going up today. Another strange thing we still have Snow Birds ground feeding at my stations they should have been gone 2 weeks ago.

originally posted by: weirdguy
a reply to: ketsuko

They must be difficult to milk.

it just takes patience and a really small pail.

a reply to: starlitestarbrite

Maybe he was just passing through. I haven't seen him today, and I did just notice the red-wings back in town. I have yet to see any grackles this year and that's what I thought he might have been at first, but that confused me because they are larger and never sit on the feeders -- the perches are very small. My cardinals only visit on to eat what falls into the yard, that's how small the perches are.

So, just wanted to pop in. I don't know if I just had never noticed them before, but we have had them coming to the feeder, for a week now. I was telling hubby about what I learned about them here.

Now I am worried for my Robins. I have nests everywhere.