Re: [mou-net] Cowbirds & bison

: Re: [mou-net] Cowbirds & bison The point is, I didn't say the parasitism habit EVOLVED for the bison. I just said it was darned beneficial to have it for one particular species that did hang around the bison. NOW we know female cowbirds can be sedentary as long as possible, but this art

Re: [mou-net] Cowbirds & bison

Myth. They DO recognize the eggs, but their only strategy is to build a new floor for the nest, burying their own eggs too. Warbler and most sparrow bills are too small to grasp the egg to toss it out. New research has also led to the discovery that when parent birds do throw out a cowbird egg,

Re: [mou-net] Cowbirds & bison

This discussion has be so enlightening and fun! As we feel some relief from Covid-19 I appreciate all who have contributed. I learned a lot and am a little bit less hostile as I see the brown heads Myth or truth? Yellow warblers have figured out the difference of the BHC eggs and don’t have

Re: [mou-net] Cowbirds & bison

The point is, I didn't say the parasitism habit EVOLVED for the bison. I just said it was darned beneficial to have it for one particular species that did hang around the bison. NOW we know female cowbirds can be sedentary as long as possible, but this article, not a scientific paper, offers no

Re: [mou-net] Cowbirds & bison

For a different perspective, I recommend Dennis Paulson’s essay on the topic. I can also recommend a few more scientific papers that say essentially the same thing. > On Apr 22, 2021, at 10:49 P.M., Laura Erickson

Re: [mou-net] Cowbirds & bison

Brood parasitism is indeed found in cowbirds from South America, where the genus *Molothrus* probably originated, and so although it follows that brood parasitism almost certainly evolved in that genus in the first place for reasons other than because they needed to follow a wandering mammal, the

[mou-net] Cowbirds & bison

I had written in a recent post: "Cowbirds are quite common. Habitat is forest edges, also farm yards. Originally they apparently co-evolved with bison and it has been hypothesized they developed their parasitism as a mechanism to breed and leave their young behind as they followed the bison."

[mou-net] Cowbirds

Any ideas on discouraging cowbirds from feeding tray -- and yard? Mary Westra White Bear Lake Sent from my iPhone On May 26, 2013, at 2:56 PM, Thomas Maiello tho...@angelem.com wrote: Well, to date, I have over 70 interested birders who want me to share my water feature info and I am in the

[mou-net] Cowbirds

It's my understanding, that one female cowbird can during the course of one summer lay upwards of 40 eggs, and in theory compromise an equal number of nests. While I understand the life history of cowbirds and the extent to which humans thru their activities stack species against each

[mou-net] Cowbirds

So tonight I've been working on getting shots of the two Cowbird young, one is being fed by a Chipping Sparrow, and one by a male Northern Cardinal.. So that's three species in my yard that have been duped by them counting the Baltimore Oriole that earlier in the month was feeding one.. I'm