Parasite Birds

It has been a hot day. With central air on, it is still not comfortable. There is a lot of allergies and the doctors are advising people to stay inside to avoid the bad days.

The cowbird parent lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. They will even kick the owner's eggs out and then deposit their own egg in its place. This ensured the parasite bird lives and the other bird perishes. In this example the cardinal, in red, is feeding the baby cowbird it is raising because the egg hatched in the cardinal's nest. The cowbird was once a follower of buffalo or bison and as those large herds moved across the country, their grazing stirred insects up and the cowbird was there to eat the insects. In this way, the cowbird could keep up with the herd and insects and be sure the eggs laid in other bird nests would be taken care of and raised as this cardinal is feeding the baby cowbird