Brown-headed Cowbirds

Molothrus ater

Brown-headed Cowbirds are small blackbirds, males have glossy black plumage with dark brown heads, females are gray-brown all over with lighter brown heads. Males, females and young have dark eyes and heavy bills.

Male Brown-headed Cowbird Displaying

By |2021-07-05T06:13:09-06:00July 5th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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.

Female Brown-headed Cowbird And Willow Catkins

By |2021-06-09T05:47:56-06:00June 9th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, East Canyon, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Late last month I photographed this female Brown-headed Cowbird surrounded by willow catkins in East Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains.

Female Brown-headed Cowbird In A Serviceberry

By |2022-03-14T17:28:44-06:00June 17th, 2020|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Morgan County, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Savannah Sparrows, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Three days ago one of the birds that the Song Sparrows chased off was an adult female Brown-headed Cowbird that landed on a serviceberry in front of me.

Goofy Looking Upside Down Displaying Male Brown-headed Cowbird

By |2021-04-16T04:33:24-06:00July 5th, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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.

Some Of The Birds Seen At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge During The Month of May

By |2024-02-09T08:22:42-07:00May 19th, 2019|Categories: American Avocets, American Bitterns, American Coots, American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Blue-winged Teals, Box Elder County, Brown-headed Cowbirds, California Gulls, Cinnamon Teals, Clark's Grebes, Cliff Swallows, Forster's Terns, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitchers, Marsh Wrens, Northern Shovelers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Ruddy Ducks, Savannah Sparrows, Tree Swallows, Utah, Western Grebes, White-faced Ibises, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

May is a time of renewal at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and as the marsh begins to green up the migrant birds return and along with the year round residents their songs and calls can be heard over the wetlands.

Some of the Birds That People Love to Hate

By |2024-02-14T06:28:20-07:00March 11th, 2018|Categories: American Crows, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Common Ravens, Double-crested Cormorants, European Starlings, Fish Crows, Florida, House Sparrows, Laughing Gulls, Mallards|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Okay, that is enough for now, there are more birds that people love to hate but I can only deal with so much of it before I feel the need to get out and photograph all the birds I see, even those that other people despise.

Juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird perched on Moth Mullein

By |2021-04-16T04:29:48-06:00August 17th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I wanted to post an image of a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird today because despite their bad reputations as brood parasites they are native birds that I think are worth pointing my lens at.

Bye bye Blackbirds? The USDA is killing birds with DRC-1339

By |2022-06-18T07:31:59-06:00January 30th, 2011|Categories: Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Davis County, European Starlings, Florida, Great-tailed Grackles, Pinellas County, Red-winged Blackbirds, Salt Lake County, Utah, Wildlife Ethics & Etiquette, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Recently the USDA accepted responsibility for a smaller die off in South Dakota which brought to light a little known program called "Bye bye Blackbird" which uses DRC-1339, a poison that is also called an avicide.

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