Friday, June 10, 2022

How Native "Buffalo Birds" Became Cowbird Pests


Cowbirds are one of the bird species that benefits greatly from human modification of the environment at the expense of other birds. Cowbirds are brood parasites which means they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and do not care for their own young. Their parasitic reproduction strategy is unique among the world's blackbird species. Historically, cowbirds were restricted to the Great Plains in short-grass prairies, where they followed buffalo herds, feeding on insects stirred up by the grazing animals. It was not until the native forests of the eastern United States were opened up and interspersed with agriculture and livestock that cowbirds were able to invade. Filmed with Canon SX70 on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3vCWjFd Commission Earned 🔴 New HD videos uploaded weekly. If you enjoy the videos please subscribe, ring the bell to get all channel upload notifications, like, and comment! Ways to support this Channel: 🔴 PayPal Donation to: mybackyardbirding@gmail.com 🔴 MBYB Merchandise: https://teespring.com/stores/backyard-birding-and-beyond 🔴Backyard Birder's AMAZON shop: https://www.amazon.com/shop/mybackyardbirding As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. A small portion of each sale goes toward supporting the Backyard without increasing costs to you. 🔴Companion Nature Blog at: http://screech-owls.blogspot.com Background Material Review of the Causes and Implications of the Association Between Cowbirds and Livestock https://sora.unm.edu/node/139521 https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/nuisance/cowbirds/ https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/news/brown-headed-cowbirds-buffalo-birds-modern-scourge #MyBackyardBirding #cowbirds #birds Public Domain thumbnail image courtesy of NPS via license https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cowbirds_on_bison_(7545304160).jpg the image was modified for clarity.


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