Natural Views Brown-headed Cowbirds Visit Watering Hole in Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada

Welcome to the WeekendFrontier! Water is Life. Enjoy natural views of Brown-headed Cowbirds visiting a watering hole that is fed by a rare natural spring and found in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada’s Mojave Desert. There is no pair bonding with cowbirds, they are promiscuous birds with a very different approach to raising their young. The female chooses a host nest, removes one egg from the host’s clutch and lays her own egg in its place. Cowbirds essentially abandon their young to be raised by foster parents, and it usually is at the expense of one of the host’s own chicks. Cowbird eggs hatch faster than other species eggs, giving them a head start in getting food and they develop at a faster pace than their nest mates and will end up crowding and starving them out. Brown-headed cowbirds are disliked by some because they are brood parasites, birds that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, that destroy the eggs and young of smaller songbirds and may even be responsible for the decline of several endangered species. Advice from the cowbird- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Peace Love Nature #weekendfrontier #berwyckmusic #peace #love #nature #outdoors #reality #everydaylife #desertlife #naturetherapy #natureheals #commonground #habitats #fieldrecording #birdlovers #nevada #waterislife #protect #wildlife #cowbird #parasitism #promiscuous