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The female cowbird notes when a potential host bird lays its eggs, and when the nest is left momentarily unattended, the cowbird lays its own egg in it. The female cowbird may continue to observe this nest after laying eggs. Some bird species have evolved the ability to detect such parasitic eggs, and may reject them by pushing them out of ...
The brown-headed cowbird is an obligate brood parasite; it lays its eggs in the nests of other small passerines (perching birds), particularly those that build cup-like nests. The brown-headed cowbird eggs have been documented in nests of at least 220 host species, including hummingbirds and raptors.
English: Brood parasitism by cowbirds can sometimes include multiple cowbird eggs. In this nest, only one of the host eggs remains (smaller egg with distinct band of reddish-brown streaks), the rest belonging to brown-headed cowbirds
Different host species show different responses to their nests being parasitised, with behaviours ranging from accepting and caring for the cowbird eggs, to rejecting the eggs from the nest. [2] As the shiny cowbird is an effective generalist brood parasite, it can be considered the South American counterpart to the brown-headed cowbird. [6]
The screaming cowbird frequently parasitizes its main host, the baywing, during the pre-laying period. [20] Screaming cowbirds lay 31% of their eggs before the first baywing egg but most of the eggs laid are ejected, and often within 24 hours. [29] By ejecting parasitic eggs with their feet, baywings can reduce the parasitic egg load by 75%. [30]
The eggs are white with a bluish hue with light lavender-gray-brown speckles and spots. [4] The nests are structured as a basket made from woven fibers of palm material, and are usually suspended from the underside of a palm leaf by two points. One threat to oriole nesting is parasitism by the shiny cowbird, especially in coastal habitats. [3]
Female hooded orioles lay a clutch of 3–5 eggs. The eggs are generally white, but can range into a pale blue with darker splotches. The eggs are incubated for 12–14 days, and the nestlings take about 14 days to fledge. This species is also commonly parasitized by the brown-headed cowbird and the bronzed cowbird. [9]
Song sparrows' nests are parasitized by the brown-headed cowbird. The cowbirds' eggs closely resemble song sparrows' eggs, although the cowbirds' eggs are slightly larger. Song sparrows recognize cowbirds as a threat and attack the cowbirds when they are near the nest. There is some evidence that this behavior is learned rather than instinctual ...