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	Brown-headed Cowbird
		The coffee-brown head of the male is a distinguishing field mark.
		The egg of the Brown-headed Cowbird is white, bluish or greenish with a fine speckling of reddish brown.
		Cowbird chicks usually hatch a day or two before the eggs of the host bird and grow rapidly, giving them a competitive head start.
	www.wbu.com /chipperwoods/photos/cowbird.htm (0 words)

	Season Three - June Bird of the Month - Brown-Headed Cowbird
		Cowbirds are related to flbirds, grackles, orioles, meadowlarks and bobolink -- all of which are known at "icterids" (from the Subfamily Icterinae).
		In the Texas hill country, cowbirds have contributed to the decline of endangered fl-capped vireos and golden-cheeked warblers.
		Cowbird eradication and removal programs have been implemented in some areas of the hill country and in other regions of the U.S. to help slow the decline of endangered bird species.
	www.passporttotexas.com /birds/jun01.html (625 words)

	DEP: Brown-headed Cowbird Fact Sheet
		Cowbird eggs are gray with brown markings and are usually unlike the smaller host eggs; nonetheless the foster parent will brood them all.
		Cowbirds develop rapidly and hatch in 10 to 13 days, which is usually one to six days before the others in the nest.
		Cowbirds were actively trapped and removed by natural resource agencies in an effort to lessen their impact on endangered fl-capped vireos (Texas) and Kirtland's warblers (Michigan).
	www.ct.gov /dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2723&q=325990&depNav_GID=1655 (890 words)

	Cowbird Parasitism
		It is proposed by Evans and Gates (1997) that cowbirds are attracted to distinct visible edges formed by canopy openings in the forest landscape and, secondarily, by the occurrence of a high basal area and the total vegetation volume.
		One reason that cowbird parasitism may be high in forested areas is that the female cowbird prefers forested areas in the morning for breeding.
		In Ashland, Missouri cowbird parasitism was at 59% in areas with 50% forest, 32% grassland, and 13% rowcrop.
	www.schools.lth5.k12.il.us /bths-east/cowbird.html (2977 words)

	Cowbirds
		Many parasitized species routinely recognize and reject cowbird eggs (by either destroying the egg, rebuilding the nest to cover the egg, or abandoning the nest), while many others are simply inadequate as foster parents and never successfully rear cowbird chicks.
		In addition cowbird nestlings usually are larger and grow faster than the host's young, which enable them to garner more than their fair share of the food brought to the nest.
		Cowbird fledglings do not recognize their foster parents as individuals, but respond positively to all adults of their foster parents' species.
	www.stanford.edu /group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Cowbirds.html (1210 words)

	Brown-headed Cowbird
		The adult male is mainly irridescent fl with a brown head.
		The young cowbird is fed by the host parents at the expense of their own young.
		Brown-headed Cowbirds are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range; northern birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico.
	www.xasa.com /wiki/en/wikipedia/b/br/brown_headed_cowbird.html (297 words)

	News-Leader.com \| Outdoors \| Brown-headed cowbird: Tough on the songbirds
		A glossy brown head is characteristic of the male cowbird, especially during the spring mating season.
		It's thought this nest parasitism by cowbirds is one of the reasons the number of songbirds in North America is decreasing.
		Distinguishing characteristics: The male is fl with a glossy brown head (the brown is most evident in spring when males are in bright breeding colors).
	entertainment.news-leader.com /outdoors/_archive/0610-Brownheade-108382.html (578 words)

	DNR - Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) (Site not responding. Last check: )
		Prior to European settlement, the brown headed cowbird, once called the "buffalo bird," was common in the open plains.
		Cowbirds followed the vast herds of American bison and then cattle, eating the insects that were stirred up by and swarmed around the hoofs of the grazing herds.
		Cowbirds are the "tricksters of the bird world." Nest parasitism by cowbirds is a major factor in declining migratory songbird populations in much of the United States.
	www.michigan.gov /dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12202-60308--,00.html (353 words)

	Brown-Headed Cowbird - Colorado Division of Wildlife
		Reproduction: The brown-headed cowbird is a brood parasite.
		Cowbirds are known to use 144 different host species, from the small creeper to larger meadowlark.
		Some birds with a long history of exposure to cowbirds recognize the foreign egg and abandon the nest, and/or act aggressively to cowbirds near their nesting territory.
	wildlife.state.co.us /WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/Birds/BrownHeadedCowbird.htm?Print=true (483 words)

	Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
		With adequate nutrition, female brown-headed cowbirds may lay an egg almost every day during the breeding season; many females are thought to lay about 40 eggs per breeding season, and a single female has been known to lay as many as 77 eggs per season.
		More than 220 species of birds have been documented as being the victims of brown-headed cowbird parasitism, and 144 of these have been known to rear the young of this species.
		Cowbirds get their name from their habit of associating with cattle, which they frequently follow on the ground, capturing prey such as grasshoppers that the cattle flush from the grass as they graze.
	dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov /rsgis2/Search/Display.asp?FlNm=moloater (270 words)

	Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater - Vacher à tête brune
		cowbird's habit to lay its eggs in the nests of others species, freed it to follow the peregrinations of the bison's herds, now, cattle and horses.
		The female cowbird finds these nests by watching from an observation post, by observing the nests of tree-nesting species while she walks quietly on the ground in the forest, or by crashing noisily through shrubbery with flapping wings to flush out potential victims.
		As a result, cowbird parasitism may be one cause in the general decrease in numbers of songbirds in North America (warblers, finches and sparrows).
	www.oiseaux.net /oiseaux/passeriformes/brown-headed.cowbird.html (1014 words)

	The Brown-Headed Cowbird
		Even as each baby cowbird grew to a size and shape entirely unlike the adopted parents, the involuntary surrogate parents never caught on and continued to feed the cowbird as one of their own.
		Unfortunately for the cowbird, some bird couples tapped for involuntary surrogate parenthood aren't stupid and will recognize and destroy the cowbird eggs left in their nest or abandon the nest altogether when the foreign deposit appears.
		It is believed that the female cowbird will try to find a nest of the same species that raised her, an example of the well-known biological principle that no good deed goes unpunished.
	www.leaderu.com /ftissues/ft9302/opinion/tobin.html (1424 words)

	Brown Headed Cowbird (Site not responding. Last check: )
		The brown headed cowbird, Molothrus ater, is a nest parasitic species which is depressing other passerine bird populations, including the least Bell's vireo.
		The cowbird's preferred habitat is varied and may include prairie, savanna grassland with low or scattered trees, woodland edges, fields, pasture, orchard and residential areas.
		Cowbirds are, to a certain extent, dependent upon food provided by humans and livestock operations.
	www.gsd.harvard.edu /brc/report/26_cowbird.html (279 words)

	Birds » Wild Birds » Cowbird - Brown Headed Main Page
		Generally, the chins and throats of female Brown Headed Cowbirds are paler shades of this color or white.
		Males are usually fl with brown heads and necks, and the feathers on their heads are shiny and fl.
		Brown Headed Cowbirds probably laid their eggs in the nests of other birds as an adaptation to their nomadic life.
	www.centralpets.com /animals/birds/wild_birds/wbd3773.html (562 words)

	The Parasitic Brown
		The female cowbirds are extremely proficient at finding an unsuspecting host and placing her egg in the other’s nest in very little time and without being noticed.
		Cowbird parasitism has had profound effects on the population of Kirtland’s Warbler.
		With the existence of the cowbird, Kirtland’s Warbler became one of the rarest birds and was a contender for the Endangered Species Act that was passed by Congress in 1973 (Lantz).
	www.globalchange.umich.edu /webprojects/group5/Warbler_files/warbler_cowbird.htm (533 words)

	Cowbird eggs in nestboxes
		Cowbirds seem to prefer open cup nests, the nests of other birds that also lay speckled eggs, and birds that lay their eggs after sunrise.
		A recent University of Florida study documented that 56% of the time, cowbirds ransacked Prothonotary Warbler nests when the cowbird egg was removed from a parasitized nest.
		Also, Cowbird's eyes open around Day 2 (about 4 days earlier than a bluebird nestling), so they are better equipped to detect the presence of their adopted parents and position and beg more effectively to receive priority for feeding.
	www.sialis.org /cowbirds.htm (1854 words)

	Birds, Familiar: Brown-headed Cowbird, Life Histories of North American Birds, A.C. Bent
		Cowbirds have been called monogamous, polygamous, polyandrous, and even plain promiscuous; probably any one of these terms could be applied to certain individuals under certain circumstances; but there is much evidence to indicate that the cowbird was originally monogamous and is so by preference today in most cases.
		Cowbirds' eggs are sometimes found in nests of birds that are wholly unfitted to become foster parents for the young, in which cases the eggs never hatch or the young never survive.
		Cowbirds seem to be on good terms with other flbirds and starlings, associating with them in enormous mixed flocks on their feeding grounds or roosting with them at night.
	www.birdsbybent.com /ch41-50/cowbird.html (12085 words)

	www.tropicalbirdsforum.com - Brown-headed Cowbird
		As expected the Cowbirds are also just makin a waste of a whole lot of seed.
		Cowbirds are leaving all over the place uneaten.
		I don't know what to say about the cowbirds but my grackles are not that tame.
	www.tropicalbirdsforum.com /forums/birds-&-birding/92-brownheaded-cowbird.html (671 words)

	Brown Headed Cowbird Photos and Information
		The cowbird chick tends to be larger than the rest of the chicks in the nest, and literally pushes them out of the nest to get all of the food for itself.
		In a few cases the owner of the nest realizes the new egg is an alien one, and gets rid of it, but in most she dutifully tries to feet this "unusual baby", bringing it food and taking care of it.
		Often this results in the cowbird chick growing large and strong, while the rest of the natural chicks miss out on food (if they´re lucky enough to be left in the nest).
	www.lisashea.com /birding/encyc/cowbird (292 words)

	Brown-headed Cowbird
		Because they were always on the move, cowbirds laid their eggs in other birds' nests.
		Unfortunately for the other birds, the cowbird eggs hatch sooner and the cowbird chick is much larger than the host's chicks.
		Indeed, the physiological demarcation between clutches sometimes is not at all clear, leading ornithologists to characterize female cowbirds as "passerine chickens!" Each female's laying cycle appears adapted to take advantage of a continuous supply of host nests for about a two-month period.
	www.birdsamore.com /byb/cowbird-brown-headed.htm (356 words)

	Science News Online (5/30/98): Stealth, Lies and Cowbirds
		Cowbirds are the stealth bombers of the avian world, dark shapes that whip into another species' nest just before dawn, often while the owner is away.
		The cowbird species that rules North America is the brown-headed cowbird, which ranges from sea to shining sea in the United States and sweeps north through much of Canada.
		If cowbirds were to disrupt the nest, however, the victims might lay eggs anew, reopening that window of opportunity.
	www.sciencenews.org /sn_arc98/5_30_98/bob1.htm (2090 words)

	Brown-headed Cowbird
		During migratory flights, cowbirds associate in flocks with Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and Rusty Blackbirds, less commonly with American Robins and Eastern Meadowlarks in the East and with Brewer's Blackbirds and Yellow-headed Blackbirds in the West.
		Males are uniformly glossy greenish fl with a brown head and neck.
		Shiny Cowbird males are glossy fl with purple or purplish blue on the head, neck, breast, and upper back and greenish blue on the wings.
	www.shawcreekbirdsupply.com /brown_headed_cowbird_info.htm (938 words)

	North Coast Cafe: Brown-headed Cowbird; Good News / Bad News
		Brown-headed Cowbirds are brood parasites, that is, they have completely abandoned the tasks of building nests, incubating eggs, and caring for hatchlings.
		The female cowbird finds these nests by watching patiently from an observation post where she can look down upon grassland species, by observing the nests of tree-nesting species while she walks quietly on the forest floor, or by crashing noisily through shrubbery with flapping wings to flush out potential victims.
		The cowbird's range expanded soon after many forested landscapes were cleared and large domesticated mammals were introduced.
	northcoastcafe.typepad.com /north_coast_cafe/2004/05/brownheaded_cow.html (491 words)

	Brown-headed Cowbird (Site not responding. Last check: )
		Cowbirds lay their eggs in nests of other birds, leaving the "host" to raise the young.
		Known to have laid eggs in nests of over 220 species of birds, and over 140 are known to have raised young Cowbirds.
		The Cowbird nestlings are fed by the "host" parents.
	home.kiski.net /~maury/birds/cowbird.html (229 words)

	Brown-headed Cowbirds
		Consequently, cowbirds developed a breeding strategy known as "brood parasitism," in which they would lay their eggs in the nest of another species, allowing this "host" species to raise the cowbird offspring.
		If a host species’ population were severely affected by cowbirds, this strategy would not have worked over the long term (who would raise the cowbird young?).
		There are definitely cases, especially in areas where cowbirds have expanded their range due to deforestation, where host species have not developed a strategy to deal with parasitism.
	www.suttoncenter.org /bhco.html (772 words)

	Birds of Westwood: Brown-headed Cowbird
		Cowbirds are "brood parasites," meaning that they lay their eggs in the nests of other species.
		The young cowbird will often be raised by its unwitting foster parents, and will deprive the other young birds of food or even push them out of the nest.
		You can't blame the cowbirds anymore than you can blame hawks for killing prey or Cedar Waxwings for eating berries; they are simply carrying out their evolved instincts.
	www.birdsofwestwood.com /birdpages/bheadedcowbird.htm (379 words)

	Brown-headed Cowbird
		They were called cowbirds when they switched to domesticated cattle, as the number of buffalo decreased.
		The egg of the Brown-headed Cowbird is white, bluish or greenish with a fine speckling of reddish brown.
		Cowbird chicks usually hatch a day or two before the eggs of the host bird and grow rapidly, giving them a competitive head start.
	www.lilburn.net /SLHA/cowbird.htm (181 words)

	The Brown Headed Cowbird
		The Brown-headed cowbird, as well as six other species of cowbirds, are distinguished from the other flbirds in the world by their parasitic nature, meaning they depend on other species of birds for survival (Fansler 11).
		Brown-headed cowbirds unusual habits pose a threat to many species of songbirds in different areas of the continent, and have brought on many arguments by experts on how to solve this problem.
		The female cowbird will lay 12 to 15 eggs a season in the nests of different species of songbirds, allowing the other birds to raise the cowbird chick along with their own.
	members.aol.com /WHobbs7491/web/cbird.htm (1207 words)

	Brown-Headed Cowbird (Site not responding. Last check: )
		Brown-headed Cowbirds are lousy parents and their eggs are parasites for broods of other birds.
		The Cowbird lays it's eggs in the nests of other birds, who then feed and raise the young Cowbirds as their own.
		The young Cowbird usually takes over the nest and the host bird's young are lost, supposedly resulting in the decline of many species (mainly songbirds).
	www.bird-friends.com /BirdPage.php?name=Brown-Headed%20Cowbird (190 words)

	Brown-headed Cowbird
		The female cowbird finds these nests by watching patiently from an observation post where she can look down upon grassland species, by observing the nests of tree-nesting species while she walks quietly on the forest floor, or by crashing noisily through shrubbery with flapping wings to flush out potential victims.
		Although the Brown-headed Cowbird's individual host's nesting success is adversely affected, most species have not suffered population declines as a result of brood parasitism.
		During migratory flights, cowbirds associate in flocks with Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and Rusty Blackbirds, less commonly with American Robins and Eastern Meadowlarks in the East and with Brewer's Blackbirds and Yellow-headed Blackbirds in the West.
	www.birds.cornell.edu /BOW/BNHCOW (0 words)

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