{"id":91671,"date":"2021-07-05T06:13:09","date_gmt":"2021-07-05T12:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=91671"},"modified":"2024-04-19T04:30:17","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T09:30:17","slug":"male-brown-headed-cowbird-displaying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/07\/05\/male-brown-headed-cowbird-displaying\/","title":{"rendered":"Male Brown-headed Cowbird Displaying"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Brown-headedBrown-headed Cowbird male displaying \u2013 Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Brown-headed Cowbird breeding activity hasn’t slowed down yet high in the Wasatch Mountains if this displaying male is any indication of their mating attempts. Four days ago this adult male and one other male were busy chasing a female cowbird around as I photographed mating Spotted Sandpipers<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

When the dark birds flew in they caught my eyes and for a few moments I observed and photographed their behavior. I know that they are brood parasites and that the females lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. I am very aware that some people despise them because of that. I’m not one of those people and I will photograph this species whenever I have the opportunity.<\/p>\n

I also know that there are nests of Yellow Warblers, Song Sparrows, and possibly Gray Catbirds and Willow Flycatchers very close to where the cowbirds were displaying. The Yellow Warblers and Song Sparrows are already feeding chicks. I can hear that even though I haven’t yet seen the young birds. In previous breeding seasons in this exact same area I have seen Song Sparrow adults feeding cowbird fledglings.<\/p>\n

Birds are going to do what they need to do to survive as a species and I can’t fault the cowbirds for that. Once upon a time cowbirds and their parasitic behaviors weren’t such a big problem until people changed the environment which allowed range expansion for this species.<\/p>\n

I can’t say that I like how they have spread well beyond their historic range or how they are impacting other songbirds. I won’t despise them for it though when the blame falls directly at our feet.<\/p>\n

I’ll step off my soapbox now.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Brown-headed Cowbird photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brown-headed Cowbird breeding activity hasn’t slowed down yet high in the Wasatch Mountains if this displaying male is any indication of their mating attempts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":127668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,425,1731,26,773],"tags":[4004,2428,2158,7399,7400,3843,779,11957,4062,4348,1059,4069,9626,4921,2315],"class_list":["post-91671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-brown-headed-cowbirds","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-adult","tag-brown-headed-cowbird","tag-courtship-display","tag-cowbird","tag-cowbirds","tag-creek","tag-displaying","tag-historic-range","tag-male","tag-mating-display","tag-molothrus-ater","tag-mountains","tag-riparian-habitat","tag-rock","tag-summer-3"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-male-displaying-mia-mcpherson-7230.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-nQz","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":58897,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/07\/05\/goofy-looking-upside-down-displaying-male-brown-headed-cowbird\/","url_meta":{"origin":91671,"position":0},"title":"Goofy Looking Upside Down Displaying Male Brown-headed Cowbird","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This photo of a displaying male Brown-headed Cowbird in a goofy upside down pose is not a good photo technically but I absolutely love the behavior it shows.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Upside down male Brown-headed Cowbird, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-upside-down-mia-mcpherson-5178.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-upside-down-mia-mcpherson-5178.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-upside-down-mia-mcpherson-5178.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-upside-down-mia-mcpherson-5178.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90143,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/06\/09\/female-brown-headed-cowbird-and-willow-catkins\/","url_meta":{"origin":91671,"position":1},"title":"Female Brown-headed Cowbird And Willow Catkins","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Late last month I photographed this female Brown-headed Cowbird surrounded by willow catkins in East Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Brown-headed Cowbird with willow catkins, East Canyon, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-female-willows-mia-mcpherson-0846.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-female-willows-mia-mcpherson-0846.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Brown-headed Cowbird perched in a Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-female-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-6004.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-female-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-6004.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-female-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-6004.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/brown-headed-cowbird-female-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-6004.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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