Cowbirds do retaliate

[teridickinson]

Hello everyone,

There have been several threads lately about cowbird eggs in various nests. Setting aside the question of whether it's right to remove them, interestingly it has been scientifically noted that at least in some cases, cowbirds recheck nests where they have dropped eggs and will retaliate if those eggs disappear. Below is a link to an easy to read summary of one of the articles.

http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/Temporary%20It ... elease.pdf

So, if someone choses to react to cowbird eggs, a solution other than removing them might be wise.

Teri

[Matt F.]

Very good article Teri.
A big thanks for posting that.

[tonyg]

Good article...I must have been one of he luckier ones. I removed 2 from a house finches nest and nothing happened. Did nest checks on the chicks and everything went fine..

[frushaj]

I had aprothonotary warbler in a box in my courtyard and had noticed one of the eggs were different. After they hatched I noticed one baby was larger and had a reddish mouth. I was unaware of the cowbird history until I looked it up on the internet and identified the stranger as a cowbird chick. I got rid of it and 3 out of 4 of the warbler chicks survived.
I also had a cardinal nest that had two chicks that I saw under attack by another bird that I have to assume was a cowbird. Nasty Creatures

[Linda Reynolds]

Teri, thank you so much for posting this information. Until it was mentioned during one of the more recent cowbird discussions, I had no idea they would retaliate. It is good to know, and the link you provided was indeed an easy read and very informative. Thanks.

[Guest]

Just from observations at my bird feeders, cowbirds appear to have a fairly aggressive behavior. When the cowbirds show up, everything else takes off.

[Matt@atx]

thanks for that important information Teri.. If there is another sparrow-like bird out there, we need to know about it.
My step dad 410ed one last year and the other beat feet. Im in favor of the same problem solving technique....

[jeffwilliams72]

Excellent information, thanks for posting! It is legal in Indiana to kill Cowbirds if they are destroying crops or property. I will consider all songbird nests as producing "crops" of baby songbirds, and as a taxpayer, the nests they build are all of our "property" to protect!

[Guest]

Excellent information, thanks for posting! It is legal in Indiana to kill Cowbirds if they are destroying crops or property. I will consider all songbird nests as producing "crops" of baby songbirds, and as a taxpayer, the nests they build are all of our "property" to protect!

I could be mistaken, but I think I remember reading in the Texas hunting regs that they can legally be killed if they are destroying crops OR predating other wildlife. I'll have to find a copy and check again to make sure. You might want to check your state regs and see if the same or similar wording is there.

[jeffwilliams72]

Hey Liz, I think TX has it right with that rule! I will dig a little deeper and see if IN has similiar wording.

[Guest]

Hey Liz, I think TX has it right with that rule! I will dig a little deeper and see if IN has similiar wording.

I found this on a Texas A&M pdf link:

Most people recognize that wild
game birds in Texas are protected and can
only be taken according to statute prescribed
means and methods in specified seasons.
However, many don’t know that all other
native birds fall into a class referred to as
nongame birds, almost all of which are
protected. Only three are specifically
excepted from any protection, and five
others are excepted from protection under
certain circumstances. European starlings,
English sparrows, and feral rock doves
(pigeons), which may be killed at any time
and their nests or eggs destroyed, are
represented in Category C.

Category D
represents crows, grackles, magpies,
*cowbirds* , and yellow-headed, red-winged,
rusty, or Brewer’s blackbirds, which may be
killed when “committing or about to commit
depredations on ornamental or shade trees,
agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or
when concentrated in numbers and in a
manner that constitutes a health hazard or
other nuisance.”
Category E reflects nongame
animals that are not protected and feral nondomestic
animals that are often perceived as
predatory to managed wildlife. Included are
the feral hog, mountain lion, bobcat, coyote,
and coyote dog crosses. A person
possessing a valid Texas hunting license
may lawfully take each of these species at
any time on property that he or she is on
legally.

http://texnat.tamu.edu/files/2010/09/021.pdf

Texas Parks and Wildlife currently has a trapping program, and there are several publications on their website about a growing nuisance problem with cowbirds. On the military base down in the Temple area (Fort Hood), it is suspected that cowbirds are predating up to 80 percent of the black- capped vireo nests. I've personally been seeing what seems to be rapidly increasing populations of them locally over the past 5 or so years.

[Guest]

Here's another link from the TPWD about cowbirds and it has a video of cowbird predation at the bottom of the page.

http://beta-www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwi ... e/cowbirds