
Anyway, I saw a beautiful perfectly round nest with five eggs in it:

So I read up on this a little because I honestly had never heard of a Cowbird. I read that they are a parasitic breed that waits for other species to build nests and lay eggs, and then it comes over and drops off a couple of it's own eggs. Eventually, depending on the host species, the Cowbird usually hatches 2 days earlier than the others, and since it is larger than the host hatchlings, it usually causes them to fall out, or starve.
BUT, in this case, the host is a House Finch, which eats a vegetarian diet, not suitable for the Cowbird, and in this case the Cowbird fledgling is the one who rarely survives. So I have read that many avid bird people do all sorts of things...I know most people would say leave nature alone (which is probably what I will do) but some people get rid of Cowbird eggs as soon as they see them. I did read that this particular species (Brown-Headed Cowbird) is protected under the Migratory Bird Act. Other people supplement the host's babies with mealworms (not for House Finches). And some people have even moved the cowbird egg(s) to other species nests that they won't threaten (i.e. Robins). I was thinking since the threat is reversed in this case, I would periodically offer mealworms to the Cowbird fledgling until it leaves the nest, at around 11 days after hatching. But if allowed to hatch in that tiny nest, the 4 finch babies will surely die because they are tiny in comparison to the cowbird baby, which will either push them out, smash them, or steal their food. It's kind of sad and I don't know why it bothers me!
Everybody says different things as advice, so I don't know yet. I was thinking of making a separate pseudo-nest next to the other one specifically for the cowbird, and then feeding it mealworms til it leaves. What do you all think?
4 comments:
If I had this on my porch I'd totally butt in.
I like your idea of creating another nest for the Cowbird egg and then feeding it worms. This would be rewarding and a fun project and you could take lots of cool pictures. I've never heard of this happening--how very interesting!
I would do something for these eggs so that both kinds of birds would survive. I think it would be fun to be a Mom to the two cowbirds. The only thing is, does the Mama cowbird ever come back for her babies or once she's laid her eggs she's gone for good? And do the birds need anything else besides the mealworms? I mean like being taught to fly and that type of stuff. Fun project.
Thats the thing, the mom cowbird never returns---she totally relies on the host mom to raise her kids...how rude huh? I can't do anything while they are still eggs though, because the host still has to fertilize them all...i don't know how/if I will be able to move just the cowbird to another nest....i know if I touch it the host may reject all of them or not feed it...i don't know if it can survive on meal worms, but its supposed to fledge on its own ~11 days after hatching.
oops--not fertilize...incubate them
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