Date: 06/10/2024

Number: 3

I thought the cardinals were raising a large brood based on how frequently the male visited my mealworm dish and carried worms away. But three fledglings showed up with him on June 10th and they are clearly juvenile cowbirds. Their coloring matches photos I found online and they walk like blackbirds rather than hopping like cardinals do.

Interesting to note that the fledglings hung around and would beg for food from any bird coming to get worms — robins and house sparrows were the most frequent other adults. Both species gave the juvenile cowbirds the cold shoulder, with the robins actually threatening them to drive them away.

Monona, WI

Latitude: 43 Longitude: -89.3

Observed by: Chris
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