“Red-eyed” Cowbirds
(click on photos to enlarge)
Somehow the presence of a pair of Bronzed Cowbirds (Molothrus aeneus), which showed up at the quail block on 4/3 is not nearly as annoying as finding a pair (or more) of Brown-headed Cowbirds at one’s feeders. I’m not sure why this is except that there are probably a lot fewer of them around so they seem more of a novelty than a threat to nesting birds. They are nest parasites though with a propensity for laying their eggs in oriole nests. We don’t seem to have orioles around here (Tucson Mountain Park area) so I expect they’ll eventually move on to more “fertile” territory. Orioles beware!
Note that the females, as is usual in the bird world, are drab and less attractive than the males.
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