The ugly step-child

[KegCreekDem]

Sorry I don't mean to offend step children, but I've been sitting on the deck watching a pair of wrung out goldfinch feed a Large demanding cowbird chick. I was really feeling sorry for the female goldfinch because the cowbird chick was on her tail chattering and demanding food constantly. The cowbird would land on the niger seed bag, but would not feed itself. Then it would follow her to the branch of a nearby tree and she would feed it. This has gone on for the past two days and before I am sure. Here's the picks I managed to get before it got dark.

<<a href="" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj579/KegCreekDem/?action=view¤t=DSCF3085.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="Goldfinch gathering food for a cowbird chick."></a>

<a href="http://s1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj579/KegCreekDem/?action=view¤t=DSCF3056.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="Step-child2, Goldfinch feeding a cowbird chick."></a>

<a href="http://s1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj579/KegCreekDem/?action=view¤t=DSCF3055.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="Step-child, Goldfinch feeding a cowbird chick."></a>

[NYC_SKP]

1. I love birds that are of that "awkward" age...

...I think the word "gawky" was inspired by birds of that age.

[MuseRider]

2. Good shots.

I have always heard about this but have never seen it. Thanks for taking these. Interesting.

[Curmudgeoness]

3. Sigh.

I know that cowbirds gotta live too, but I hate the way they do it.

And I cannot even imagine how a small bird like a goldfinch can get enough food to raise a cowbird chick. It must be hard.

[postulater]

4. Damn Republican birds!

[TexasProgresive]

5. +1

[MH1]

12. Well, they sorta are, as republican policies increase habitat for cowbirds.

Cowbirds infest "edge" habitat between meadow and forest. They don't go far into deep forest.

This means as woods become fragmented due to suburban sprawl, there is more habitat for cowbirds and less "safe" habitat (woods too deep for the cowbirds to infiltrate) for woodland birds.

Not that republicans can be saddled with all the blame for habitat fragmentation, but there's a reason that most actual environmentalists are either Democrats or further left. (And most environmentalists who want to get anything done and not see things go backward at a breakneck pace will VOTE Democrat, even if they prefer Greens or others, due to being smart enough to understand how the rules of the game actually work in this country.)

[KoKo]

6. Well stated.......

Cowbirds are a problem in our area. They did remind me of Repugs. Glad to see someone else thinks so.

[KoKo]

7. Wonderful photos..

Thanks. I've not seen the cowbird chicks in action like this. Poor goldfinch...

[fasttense]

8. How to get someone else to raise your chick, the cowbird has it down pat.

One of the reasons birds choose certain sized holes (like in bird houses and trees) to build their nests is to keep out the cowbirds that are too big to fit in. This finch doesn't know it's not her baby. I would think it would be easier to evolve to recognize cowbird eggs and chicks with sight. But evolution takes a crooked path.

[Kaleva]

13. As the cowbird followed migrating animals,...

it was an adaptation which allowed the species to survive. They didn't stay in one area long enough to be able to raise their own young. Such a behavior is obsolete today with modern farming practices but the cowbird will continue to do so for a very long time.

[1monster]

9. Before I looked at your photos, I was having a very hard time picturing a finch

of any kind begin able to feed a cow bird chick, because around here what we call a cow bird (cattle egret) looks like this:



You'd need a whole big flock of finches to feed one of those.

[KegCreekDem]

10. Funny :)

That is a really pretty bird, unlike our cowbird. I'm in Iowa, btw. Are Cow Egrets a water bird?

[1monster]

11. They originated in Africa and migrated to South America (flew the Atlantic)

and have reached as far north as Canada. They are now found on every continent on Earth except Antartica. Cattle egrets are a type of heron.