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Mary new Miller
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Description
Nest in hanging geranium pot seems to have been shared by a cowbird laying her eggs as well.
Category
Shared. Nest
Mary new Miller
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Nest in hanging geranium pot seems to have been shared by a cowbird laying her eggs as well.
Its not shared. It’s a takeover. The original nest builders eggs and chicken will not survive.
“chicks”
Hi Lars, This isn’t necessarily true. Cowbirds chicks will certainly reduce the nesting success of the host species, but it’s still possible for host young to survive in those nests. However, House Finches (in the nest above) eat seeds, fruit, and plant matter almost exclusively, and cowbirds generally don’t thrive without a insect/protein-based diet – for this reason, cowbird chicks seem to do poorly in nests of the vegetarian House Finches and American Goldfinches.
Removing Cowbird eggs is illgal.
illegal
As a native species, the Brown-headed Cowbird is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and taking eggs is illegal. So any person who violates the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by murdering baby cowbirds is subject to a criminal penalty of up to $5,000 for each bird unlawfully taken or possessed; civil restitution fee for each bird unlawfully taken or possessed; and. license suspension or revocation