Bird Calls Radio Bird of the Day for Sunday, Aug. 7

The Bird Calls Radio Bird of the Day for Sunday, Aug. 7, is the dreaded brown-headed cowbird. Cowbirds, I think anyway, are actually pretty neat looking with their dark black bodies and brown heads _ a rather odd combination.

Cowbirds are dreaded in the minds of many (if not most) birdwatchers as they are nest parasites. That means they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and let those birds serve as foster parents. That takes a toll on many bird species as often only the brown-headed cowbird chick is able to fledge because it is bigger and demands all the food from the busy parents.

Warblers and other small songbirds are the targets of this nest parasitism. Brown-headed cowbirds, back in the day, used to follow around herds of buffalo eating the insects associated with the herds. There was no time to lag behind the herd to raise young, so they developed the habit laying their eggs in other birds’ nests. Pretty smart, but also nefarious and toll-taking on birds that birdwatchers fine more “desirable.”

Be sure to check out Bird Calls every Saturday from 3 to 4 p.m. on WSTC/WNLK AM1400/1350 (in S. CT and nearby NY) or www.wstcwnlk.com from anywhere in the world (where there’s Internet access, that is.) Thanks for checking in.