Cowbird facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cowbirds |
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| Female Brown-headed Cowbird | |
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Molothrus
Swainson, 1832
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Cowbirds are a group of birds belonging to the genus Molothrus. They are known for a special way of life called brood parasitism. This means they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, much like some types of Cuckoos do. All cowbird species are found only in the New World (North and South America).
When a cowbird lays an egg in another bird's nest, the "host" bird is tricked into raising the young cowbird as if it were its own chick.
Cowbirds usually eat insects. They often follow large animals like cattle because these animals stir up insects from the ground, making them easier to catch. By laying their eggs in other birds' nests, cowbirds don't have to stay in one place to raise their young. This allows them to keep moving with the herds they follow for food.
Cowbirds: Nature's Clever Parents
The Brown-headed Cowbird is very adaptable. It has been known to lay its eggs in the nests of over 220 different bird species! Other cowbird species also use many different hosts. This means cowbirds are "generalists" when it comes to choosing a nest. Because they use so many different types of nests, their eggs often look quite different from the host bird's own eggs.
How Cowbirds Check on Their Young
Scientists have observed that Brown-headed Cowbirds seem to check on their eggs and young after they have placed them in other birds' nests. If a host bird removes the cowbird egg from its nest, the cowbird might react. This reaction is sometimes called "retaliatory behavior."
For example, cowbirds might damage the eggs or young chicks of host birds that try to get rid of the cowbird egg. This behavior helps ensure that the host bird will accept and raise the cowbird's young. Studies suggest that host birds often end up raising more of their own young by accepting the cowbird egg rather than trying to remove it.
See also
In Spanish: Tordos para niños
