Greensboro Birds

This is the scene every few minutes outside our window: Song Sparrows feeding their Brown-headed Cowbird fledgling. Birders know that the cowbird is a parasitic breeder, meaning the females lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, usually removing one of the host bird’s eggs in the process. The cowbird egg hatches a day before the other eggs, thereby getting more food and crowding out most or all of the other hatchlings. Some birds will destroy the cowbird eggs or abandon the nest for a new one, but Song Sparrows tend to have great success, if you will, raising these birds as their own.

This fledgling has been noisily demanding food from its adopted parents all day for several days now. They run around from dawn till dusk trying to meet its demands, frequently stopping at our feeder. In fact, the fledgling itself is now stopping at our feeder and stuffing its beak. When other birds, like Titmice or Cardinals, drop in, the fledgling actually begs for food from them, too!

This is an adult male Brown-headed Cowbird. They’re really good-looking birds, regardless of how one might feel about their breeding behavior. I’ve always liked the brown/black combination, even in fashion. When done right, it really looks quite chic.