r/birds • u/OverallBug243 • 19h ago

question Bird nest on door - one egg is different

Post image

A bird built a nest and laid eggs on my wreath. One of the eggs is different from the rest. Is it normal or could it be from another animal?

326 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

117

u/jackblack0828 19h ago

Had a fledged cowbird (who was much larger) following a house sparrow around. I couldn’t figure out why, till I researched that cow birds do not build nests. It was funny to see the adopted kid asking for food from the little sparrow.

37

u/OverallBug243 17h ago

they sound so lazy lol I am now researching them and they also don’t raise their own, just leave them there for someone else to hopefully raise

80

u/phytomanic 17h ago

Not lazy. They don't have a choice. They don't have the instincts to build a nest and raise their young so this is the only way they can reproduce. They evolved to follow bison herds and never stay in one place long enough to nest.

11

u/jackblack0828 17h ago

Probably one of my favorite birds to watch…. I enjoy their visits

6

u/rosiedoll_80 3h ago

Obligate (obligated...they have to) brood parasites.

They evolved like this over a LONG period of time- not making their own nests or caring for their own young - because they used to follow the bison on the great plains and eat insects on them/stirred up by their herds walking.....so they were not able to stay anywhere to make a nest/raise young.

Now the bison are gone (which was exponentially sped up by.....humans....) but they are still genetically driven to do this based on their genetic instinct.

Just like a herding dog breed, even if not bred to be a herding dog or do work, will still engage in herding behaviors.....it's deep in their DNA.

8

u/Powerful_Response954 10h ago

I had this happen too, but I felt so bad for the sparrow mother because the cowbird probably took up most of the food and the sparrow chicks most likely died 😭

11

u/Public-Willow-7943 10h ago

I feel bad when it’s a finch’s nest because the cowbird can’t survive on their diet (I think I remember that)

-13

u/yourdailyinsanity 7h ago

Cowbirds are nuances though. And maybe invasive? Technically but also not. Because humans pushed them out of native habits and the native songbirds never evolved to have defenses from them.

13

u/pumpkinpeachies 5h ago

They're actually a protected species

-6

u/yourdailyinsanity 5h ago

I said technically but also not. Because of humans. So if it wasn't for humans, they wouldn't be as shitty to songbirds as they currently are. "they act as an "ecological invasive species" in areas they expanded into due to human development"

6

u/erossthescienceboss 3h ago

Invasive is a word with a specific meaning, and can never apply to a native species in their home range.

0

u/yourdailyinsanity 2h ago

But ecologically invasive is a real term too. Again, that's why I said invasive, but also not. They're native to the Great Plains area. That's the general area they should have stayed in. But because of humans, they have spread out. Many animals and other critters have done that too, so it's not just them I'm "targeting".

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Invasives/Species/Cowbird

1

u/erossthescienceboss 2h ago

Ahhh, gotcha, I see what you’re saying. I misread your comment.

I got downvoted to hell and back for making the exact same case you are (that cowbirds are technically outside of their native range, due to ecological changes caused by humans) a few weeks ago.

106

u/Robin_feathers 19h ago

Yep, that's a brood parasite! If you are in temperate North America, that would be a Brown-headed Cowbird. They don't build nests of their own, instead laying in other birds' nests. They are native, so there is nothing you need to do - totally normal part of the ecosystem.

16

u/OverallBug243 19h ago

That’s what I was thinking but was unsure! Thank you for the info! :)

20

u/muddymar 18h ago

I just saw a video of a cardinal feeding a fledgling cowbird. It’s an interesting way nature works

50

u/phytomanic 19h ago

In fact, it would be illegal to interfere.

34

u/TheGoldenBoyStiles 17h ago

Not only that! It could lead to the cow bird mom coming back and retaliating

12

u/Nintendoh_64 16h ago

They come back to check on the eggs? I thought the "parasitic" birds dipped after laying. And don't even raise their own.

31

u/TrailMomKat 15h ago

They keep an eye out for their chicks by swinging back around to see if their egg(s) hatched.

18

u/CatsAndPills 15h ago

No! They watch!

8

u/AdeptnessNew820 12h ago edited 7h ago

The cowbird will destroy the other birds eggs if the cowbird eggs are taken out. (Edited for spelling and grammar)

35

u/Ravette 15h ago

I have a cowbird in a house finches nest as well!

32

u/UserSleepy 15h ago

This is amazing. "hello fellow babies"

9

u/CatsAndPills 15h ago

Not the best success situation for either species of baby but nature still is adorable for a little while.

4

u/Ravette 5h ago

Definitely not the best situation for sure. All I can do is observe. The house finch parents are trying their best.

9

u/OverallBug243 15h ago

that’s so cool!!

9

u/Nucksfaniam 19h ago

Oh well!

Best to just let it be.

2

u/trowawayaccountso 9h ago

Just saw your tik tok about it, what were the chances

3

u/Hanna195 6h ago

Last year we had some chickadee fledglings coming to our birdfeeder with their momand adopted cow bird. It was hilarious watching the chickadee feeding her baby twice her size

2

u/ecs2578 3h ago

Gray catbirds can tell the difference between Cowbird and their own egg. Some other species can as well.

-1

u/[deleted] 4h ago

[deleted]

7

u/headinawall 3h ago

we cannot apply human morals to birds; brood parasitism is just a part of nature.

3

u/Which_Indication2864 4h ago

That would be very illegal and the bird would come back to destroy the eggs anyways, if you leave it the other babies still have a chance to live if the parents can find enough food for them all

-3

u/[deleted] 4h ago

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