Читать книгу Birds of New Hampshire & Vermont Field Guide - Stan Tekiela - Страница 22

female

male

Brown-headed Cowbird

Molothrus ater

YEAR-ROUND

SUMMER

Size:	7½" (19 cm)
Male:	Glossy black bird, reminiscent of a male Red-winged Blackbird. Head is chocolate brown. Pointed, sharp gray bill. Dark eyes.
Female:	dull brown bird, bill similar to the male bill
Juvenile:	similar to female, but dull gray color and has a streaked chest
Nest:	no nest; lays eggs in the nests of other birds
Eggs:	5-7; white with brown markings
Incubation:	10-13 days; host bird incubates eggs
Fledging:	10-11 days; host birds feed young
Migration:	partial to non-migrator in New Hampshire and Vermont
Food:	insects, seeds; will come to seed feeders
Compare:	The male Red-winged Blackbird is slightly larger with red and yellow patches on upper wings. Common Grackle has a long tail and lacks the brown head. European Starling has a shorter tail.

Stan’s Notes: Member of the blackbird family. Of approximately 750 species of parasitic birds worldwide, this is the only parasitic bird in New Hampshire and Vermont, laying eggs in host birds’ nests, leaving others to raise its young. Cowbirds are known to have laid eggs in the nests of over 200 species of birds. Some birds reject cowbird eggs, but most will incubate them and raise the young, even to the exclusion of their own. Look for warblers and other birds feeding young birds twice their own size.