On The Wing
By Jill Dinsmore

The Land of Nursery Rhymes

March brings breezes sharp and shrill
Shakes the dancing daffodil

Cuckoo -- Cuckoo – Cuckoo

In England, with spring, comes the cuckoo. When the violets, primrose, and cowslips are coming into bloom, and the days are warm and still, this male bird comes calling. Advertising himself, there is no other sound like it!

A small number of birds have specialized in laying their eggs in other birds nest. Such birds are called brood parasites. Probably the most commonly studied are the European cuckoo and the only brood parasite common across North America is the brown headed cowbird, a member of the black bird family. In the 1800’s the cowbird followed the bison migration eastward as the forest were cleared. Rather than be left behind to raise her brood, the female laid her eggs in the host nest and followed her mate. However, neither the male nor female are monogamous. The cow bird prefers areas with grass, woodland edges, bushy thickets, fields, prairies, orchards, and residential areas. They forage on the ground for seeds and insects, which they can find around livestock. Outside of the breeding season, cowbirds will forage in large flocks with other black birds. Males have shiny black heads with brown neck and body. The female is a plain grayish brown with a white throat and streaks on her chest.

The Cuckoo sometimes can be confused with a Hawk- pointed wings, barred bluish gray plumage, long roundish tail. The female’s eggs will resemble the eggs of the host, but because, they will hatch quicker than the host eggs will grow and push the other eggs out of the nest thereby assuring adequate food and its survival. The behavior of nest predators can cause a decline in the population of smaller species such as warblers and vireos.

There are approximately 750 species of parasitic bird’s world wide.