This is a short story, based in facts, about a gluttonous young Brown-headed Cowbird that visited my friend Steve Creek’s feeder in Arkansas for several days.
The immature cowbird earned the nickname “Porky” because their appetite seemed insatiable.
Young Brown-headed Cowbird gorging on sunflower seeds – Nikon D500, f8, 1/640, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
This young Brown-headed Cowbird would come into the sunflower seed basket and eat one seed after another. He or she would consume so many sunflowers seeds that we could see it lay down in the seed basket at times and it would still keep eating. It actually seemed to have trouble lifting off after a pig out session!
Immature Brown-headed Cowbird in Arkansas – Nikon D500, f8, 1/250, ISO 1000, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
The presence of the immature cowbird in the seed basket made it challenging for other smaller birds to come and feed. Sometimes, the other birds waited for an opportunity to quickly snatch a sunflower seed when they saw enough space in the basket next to the chonky cowbird.
Young Brown-headed Cowbird at a birdbath – Nikon D500, f8, 1/320, ISO 1000, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
By observing the behavior of the young cowbird, we determined that the host parents of the immature bird were a pair of Northern Cardinals.
The young cowbird didn’t beg from any other species that visited the feeder; the biological parents, who are brood parasites, were nowhere to be found.
When the cardinals flew to the seed feeder, this immature cowbird would beg for food from them. This behavior was peculiar because that begging happened despite being surrounded by food that it gorged on several times a day.
Immature Brown-headed Cowbird about to dive into sunflower seeds – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/250, ISO 1000, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I’m not sure why the young Brown-headed Cowbird stopped visiting the feeder after several days. Perhaps it had a hankering for something different.
During the time it did visit the feeder, this ravenous cowbird certainly kept us entertained! Nature continues to amuse and amaze me.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Brown-headed Cowbird photos plus facts and information about this species.
Such extraordinary detail! As I recall, Cowbirds have a bad rep., but these wonderful pics make me want to like them. “Porky” is a great name for this growing boy. Thanks Mia.
I bet its foster parents were glad not to have to contend with that appetite on their own…