Portrait of a Cowbird

by Judi Dressler

Title

Portrait of a Cowbird

Artist

Judi Dressler

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Cacti make marvelous perches for birds in Arizona, and this Brown-headed Cowbird seemed to be showing off his glossy feathers on the top of one in some beautiful early morning light.

The Brown-headed Cowbird often follows cattle, feeding on insects flushed from the grass. This bird is widespread from coast to coast, and has surged in numbers and range as humans built towns and cleared woods, as it prefers open areas. However, its spread is bad news for other songbirds, because the female lays her eggs in the nests of other birds, who then foster-parent the babies, usually at the expense of at least some of the host’s own chicks. Heavy parasitism by cowbirds has pushed some species to the status of endangered.

Photo taken on May 1st, 2017, in Green Valley, Arizona.

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Descriptive keywords and tags for this image include brown-headed cowbird, cowbirds, brown headed, cow birds, brown-headed cowbirds, portrait, arizona, cactus, molothrus ater, icteridae, passeriformes, birds, wild, wildlife, perched, glossy, feathers, photo, photograph, photography, judi dressler, and dressler.

Uploaded

June 21st, 2019

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