Ah, the controversial brown-headed cowbird. A group of half a dozen briefly descended on my feeder both yesterday and this morning. The cowbird is a brood parasite, causing some to decry it as an inherently evil and undesirable bird, especially because of its success in parasitizing the nests of such birds as the endangered Kirtland’s warbler. Because of this, much money and effort is spent in controlling the cowbird. However, Audubon offers some thought-provoking and refreshingly rational info, including these points:
Scientists suggest that cowbird control is a short-term solution that ignores the real problem of habitat degradation as a result of agriculture, grazing and development.
Scientists advocate protection and restoration of host breeding habitat, and improvements in grazing and agricultural practices.
Nature has an uncanny ability to change and adapt, and some species make it and some don’t. Philosophically I have a hard time accepting our distaste or downright homicidal rage for species that survive despite our best efforts to the contrary (cowbirds, house sparrows, the IRS). Perhaps it’s analogous to people’s distaste for big corporations that survive despite popular criticism (Microsoft, Wal-Mart, the IRS).
Let’s face it: We won’t succeed in changing the cowbird’s behavior, and although its population is trending downward, it’s unlikely that we’ll kill them all (and would that really be wise anyway?). But we could choose to redirect the millions of dollars we spend on our futile cowbird war to habitat preservation and give birds like the Kirtland’s warbler, which requires a very specific habitat to survive, a fighting chance.
But, hey, if you can convince me otherwise, give it a shot. Like Joe Cortez, I’m firm but I’m fair. And relatively open-minded.
We would love to direct resources to habitat
manipulationpreservation … except the IRS has taken all our money! It’s that fact, not it’s persistence to exist, that justifies distaste.Not attempting to convince you here; I am not madly in love with the cowbird however, to me they and red winged blackbirds are the same; “gimme all that food!” Not that I mind but once in awhile I shoo them off so a chickadee have a fighting chance.
I wouldn’t say I’m madly in love with the cowbird, I just don’t feel any rage toward them. Of course, they don’t take over my feeders for more than a couple minutes at most. I did get a little nuts at the pigeons messily domineering my feeder back in Brooklyn, so I can relate to that feeling entirely!