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Submitted By
Owls3.0
4371 Mayfield Road, West Bend, WI, USA
Description
I saw the female cowbird exploring around the bush where the nest was, but the nest didn’t have any eggs in it at the time. I suppose she waited until the sparrow laid her eggs. This is my first nest with a nest parasite this year.
Category
Species
Song Sparrow Nest With A Cowbird Egg!
Oh no! I’v had 3 Song Sparrow nests in one year and all of them had one Cowbird egg.
Removing Cowbird eggs is illegal. Leave the egg in the nest.
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, killed, harassed, or possessed; civil restitution fee for each bird unlawfully taken or possessed; and a license suspension or revocation