Cowbird is the name of a group of birds found in North America and South America. The best-known species is the brown-headed cowbird, which lives from southern Canada to Mexico. The male brown-headed cowbird measures about 8 inches (20 centimeters) long. It has a brown head and a shiny black body. The smaller female is brownish-gray in color.
Brown-headed cowbirds lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, leaving the young for the foster parents to raise. The female cowbird chooses a nest that belongs to some smaller birds and lays an egg in it while the owners are away. She then flies off and does not return. The young cowbird is much larger than the other young birds in the nest and usually gets most of the food. As a result, the other nestlings sometimes starve. The foster parents do not seem to realize that they are raising an outsider. But if the egg is discovered, the nest owner may not allow it to hatch. For example, a yellow warbler may cover the egg and build another nest on top of the old one. The eggs of the brown-headed cowbird are white with brown specks.
Loading the player...Brown-headed cowbird
Several other species of cowbirds are found in the Americas. Almost all of them, like the brown-headed cowbird, lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. Cowbirds feed on insects, worms, seeds, and berries.
