Re: COWBIRDS....SHUDDER & nest predation

["Matthew Troutman" <m_troutman@hotmail.com>]

To Pat Grant:


Do you have a reference for your claim that cowbird parents go back to 
the parasitized nest to kill the host species?  While I am not ab 
authority on the species, I can say that I have never seen this before. 
Many other birders I have talked to have never seen this.  Really it is 
somewhat parasoxial.  Cowbirds have relatively large young with sharp 
bills.  The sharp bills function to push the host chicks out of the 
nest.  They are perfectly capable to do this by themselves.  Plus, I 
have never seen a cowbird eat anything as big as a bird chick ( I hardly 
see them eat animals!).

Matt Troutman

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