Why aren’t you removing the cowbird egg so the phoebe’s can survive? The Cornell website advises that you can. I remove them whenever they are in my phoebe’s nest.
Hi Jennifer,
Because cowbirds are native to the U.S., they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and in most instances it is unlawful to use lethal control without a permit, including the removal of their eggs from a nest. However, unpermitted control of cowbirds is occasionally permissible under special circumstances outlined in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. We recommend contacting your local wildlife authorities if you have questions.
-Holly Faulkner, Project Assistant
Why aren’t you removing the cowbird egg so the phoebe’s can survive? The Cornell website advises that you can. I remove them whenever they are in my phoebe’s nest.
I’m just curious, where exactly does it advise that you can? Since it’s illegal to remove the eggs, you probably misread something.
Hi Jennifer,
Because cowbirds are native to the U.S., they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and in most instances it is unlawful to use lethal control without a permit, including the removal of their eggs from a nest. However, unpermitted control of cowbirds is occasionally permissible under special circumstances outlined in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. We recommend contacting your local wildlife authorities if you have questions.
-Holly Faulkner, Project Assistant
It’s illegal and cruel to remove cowbird eggs. Don’t remove and destroy innocent birds.