Comments on: Identify the Brown, Streaky, Juvenile Songbirds of Summer With These Tips

By: e

Sun, 07 Sep 2014 03:00:08 +0000

juvenile brown headed cowbird ?

By: Michael Scullin

Michael Scullin — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 18:09:56 +0000

We always have cowbirds at the feeders on the back-porch, usually with a preponderance of males. This year we saw quite a few males and only one female, We have seen perhaps one juvenile in ten years. We actually have cows across the street but eating millet from a tray seems better than the alternatives at least to the males. Even an indigo bunting comes by on occasion and yesterday a wren came to check out whatever was going on (hummingbirds going nuts prior to heading south). Many years ago I had a course in ornithology from Charles Sibley who chafed at being located in the Ag School and was never known to be the least bit student friendly. Peter Paul Kellog was my pre=admission advisor and was really a great person with great advice (Be a generalist!). Richard Fischer was my advisor and a wonderful, wise person. I just finished a book on Buffalobird-woman (Maxidiwiac in Hidatsa) and the uses of plants by the Hidatsa of the Northern Plains. Needless to say Buffalobirds are what they were called before the cows took over.

By: Gena LaCoste

Gena LaCoste — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 22:18:35 +0000

THANK you for this!! I live at Medicine Hat, Ab. and this is the first summer we’ve seen this little flock of birds following the horses around the pasture, roosting (and pooping!) on their backs, and hitchhiking, as many as 6 or 8 at a time! I’m from a ranch here, so am familiar with cowbirds, but we couldn’t see any adults…these must all be “kids”; obviously I didn’t know they looked like this. They must be having a really good year, (or the horses are infested with something that we can’t find.)

By: Ruthann Zaroff

Ruthann Zaroff — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 21:13:17 +0000

I have gotten pretty good at identifying the wee offspring of our local adult birdies. Watching them beg for food and then be fed is pretty much telling. This summer (in southeast Michigan) we have watched hummingbirds, tufted titmouses, goldfinches, cardinals, blue jays, brown headed cowbirds, chickadees, nuthatches, and a variety of wrens/sparrows rear their young right in our front window. That doesn’t include the “flyovers,” such as bald eagles, turkey vultures, sand hill cranes, red tailed hawks, great blue herons, and king fishers.

By: Sandra Hazen (sandee)

Sandra Hazen (sandee) — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 23:29:21 +0000

In reply to Laimiki Toonoo. Your bird was an American Pipit, sometimes called a Water Pipit.

By: Hugh

Hugh — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 17:59:40 +0000

In reply to Rich Patrock.

Hi Rich – good point! Here’s the All About Birds profile for Brown-headed Cowbird, with plenty of photos of adult males and females: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/brown-headed_cowbird/id Thanks for the suggestion. – Hugh

By: Rich Patrock

Rich Patrock — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 13:28:50 +0000

I was surprised to NOT see a picture of the adult bird the author thought (or knew) the juvenile would grow into. The contrast in before and after is both striking and telling.

By: Roger

Roger — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 03:49:12 +0000

Your app and site does not show the Pintail Whyduh.
I know it is an African species but lives in Southern California. Very interesting bird and drastic difference between make and female.

By: Laimiki Toonoo

Laimiki Toonoo — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 02:33:24 +0000

I have seen a bird similar to this mystery bird but it was about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long but the bill looked like a bill of a sand piper. It was a breed that I have never seen close to the arctic circle. A snow bunting was close to it but it did not look like that they were together.

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 22:53:14 +0000

well written post Victoria – they are everywhere here in PA and their brood parasitism is just too creepy…