The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-01-10
THE TIRED COWBIRD
DOWNRIGHT LAZY is THIS BLACK
HOBO OF THE oRlolE TRIBE.

IL Builds No Nests OF Its own, but
Lays its eggs In the Nests of other
Birds and Never Troubles Itself
About Rearing Its Young.
The cowbird was born so tired that II
he could compel any other bird 10
gather his food for him he would do So
but he cannot, so he scratches about all
day among the herds of cattle and
sheep and goes TO roost at night In
great bands Of hundreds of his rcla,
tives, always selecting bushy tree,
such as Il cypress, for a nights perch.
All up and down the Mississippi river
valley is the common summer home of
these birds, for only In the depth OF
winter do they retreat to the warmer
mesas OF Mexico, whittier most OF the
other birds have preceded them. In
the spring following such a winter
they are the first TO return, filling all
the new year air with their chatter and
lining the harnyard trees.
You must not think that the glossy
black and brown birds so plentiful
around southern California barnyards
during the winter months are cow
birds, for they are not. They are call.
ed "grackles" and seem to be more like
crows than blackbinis, You can find
their nests. big, bulky affairs, In the
orange and cypress trees of almost any
Of your ranch homes. There are many.
many members to the blackbird family.
the sweet voiced meadow larks and the !
gorgeous golden orioles as well us the !
more sober colored blackblrds and
grackles, and of all these but one
forces the Matching Of her eggs and
the feeding Of her young on to another .
bird mother.
In England the cuckoo has this same
habit but the American cuckoo builds .
her nest and sits on her eggs as nicely
as any robin or dove could do. Some,
times our road runner so far forgets
herself as TO lay her eggs ~ the nest
of quail or meadow lark, but not
often, but when she does the bird upon
whom Mrs. Road Runner tries to i'm.
pose generally breaks the strange egg
or else goes away and leaves the nest
alone. Then the field mice and the
wood rats have feast, to which some
times the road runner comes herself,
for she is very fond Of eggs as long az
they are not her own.
But the cowbird never makes any
such poor job as that. She always Sc
lects the nest OF some smaller blrd-in
regions where warblers are plentiful
the home of one OF these little singers
Is most frequently chosen-and there
rs many eggs as she thinks the owner
Of the nest will submit to are laid
the warbler goes right on
the intruder, but now and
then the two old birds get together
and dump the egg out on the ground.
Nests have been found in which the
put n mud floor over the first
nest and built another one on top Of II,
eaving their own eggs to spoil because
hey knew no other way TO rid them
selves of the cowbird. II the cowblrd
,omes back by the repaired nest she
Will put another egg in II, and gener
lily this egg is hatched and raised by /,
he foster pair on whom 1t has been
orced.
1t requires abcut ten or eleven days
or the young cowbird to break the
hell, while most other birds Of Its
lie are two or three days longer, and
hus he has a good start on the other
estlings in point OF growth. When
atched the cowbird Is larger than the
parrow or the warbler and conse-
uently gradually crowds them into
he background, taking all the food ,
hat should belong to them. AS they
row weaker from this he grows stron- :
er, and 1t is not long until he tips
hem out of the nest and is sole mas. :,
er of the two old birds, who work
to satisfy his awful appe.