Evening star., 1945-08-20
This and That
BIZ Charles Z. TrdcetUell.
CHEVY CHASE, Nc

u.
Dear Sir:
"A neighbor called my attention Sum-
day to a rather unusual phenomenon
of bird life. A sparrow, presumably
female, accompanied by young but
full-grown cowbird, was hopping about
the yard and catching insects which
it promptly popped down the throat of
its diversified adopted offspring.
''We are fairly certain Of the cow
birds species, although 1t was much
lighter than any have seen and had
not acquired the black and reddish
plunage that I seem to remember as
characteristic of the adult bird. The
shape was that of the cowbird and its
behavior was infantile.
II am aware of the cowbird's habit of
laying its eggs in other birds nests,
but did not realize it had the human
trait of palming off its young on others
to raise and forage for Can you con-
firm this episode? VERY truly, C. B."
* ~
The adult cowbird is about 8 inches
long.
Males are greenish- black, with brown
not red-fore parts.
Females are brownish-gray
The young are brown to gray-brown
above, with sooty gray-brown streaks
below.
It is a common sight to see small
sparrow or warbler feeding a young
cowbird twice it's size.
Often the baby cowbird manages to
get the foster mother to feed it for
long time.
Her care is not only in the nest, but
out of the nest as well, and she does
not seem to realize the difference out of
the nest any more than she did in.
This is a queer thing. Evidently a
bird is a bird-to bird, just as
human baby would be human baby
to human mother.
One may wonder If human mother
would suspect anything, if a strange
baby were given her. She probably
would. The different color of the eyes,
etc. But the mother bird apparently
does not see these differences Perhaps
it is too much to expect that she would
She is just bird, with only sufficient
brains to "get by" Thought. after all,
is not elementary. It is high product
of life and endeavor. 1t is not found
except in minor way in the small
creatures.
AS we have explained here before,
some young birds evidently think
enough to try to take advantage of
their parents, and demand that they
be fed long after they are able to feed
themselves. We gave letter from a
correspondent telling how young cardi-
nal insisted on being fed, and, not
finding his parents easy marks, went
to a sparrow, which obligingly fed it..
Sparrows of all types are very nice
birds. Especially the song sparrows
Many amateur bird watchers do not
know there is any difference, but simply
think that when they see bird which
specifically resembles an English SPAR
row they are seeing English sparrows.
In fact, many song sparrows have been
trapped and disposed of by English
sparrow haters, on the mistaken as
sumption that they were killing the
latter.
Most victims of the cowbirds habit
of laying its egg in another's nest do
not resent the intrusion. Occasionally
a yellow warbler has been known to
make second nest over the unwanted
egg. Mostly, however, birds fail to see
ehAAy aA4ACACiASCs SC0dAAy IliC COWUlTQ
matches first, and so the foster mother
must leave her own eggs unwarmed
part of the day, while she seeks food
for the foster child. 1t is estimated
that between two and five birds are lost
for every cowbird brought to maturity.
When the young cowbird decides that
the foster parent will feed it no longer,
1t flies away to join others of its kind
IN the pastures. In the cattle country
of the West it is common sight, search
ing for insect parasites on the cows.
About 20 per cent of his food is animal
matter. Experts say that it does not
eat parasitic worms or ticks from
animals.
Sometimes it focks with blackbirds,
and often visits suburban places where
bird feeding is carried on. It should
be accepted as an interesting specimen
Of bird life. It's parasitism need not
worry the friend Of birds too much.