What do Cowbirds and Cuckoos have in common? They are brood parasites! What does that mean? These are species that place their eggs in another birds nest. Here in Wisconsin, the Brown-headed Cowbird is the most common species with this behavior. In other parts of the world, species of cuckoo and some honeyguides and others engage in brood parasitism. Brown-headed Cowbirds lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, who then incubate the cowbird egg and raise the cowbird as their own. According to Cornell Labs-Nestwatch;140 different species of birds are known to have raised young cowbirds! Sometimes, the host species is quite a bit smaller than the cowbird. And, as much as songbird lovers may not like this particular behavior, cowbirds are native species. Their eggs should not be removed from nests unless you have the federal permits to do so. We have two species of cuckoos that occur in Wisconsin; the Black-billed Cuckoo and the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. According to Cornell Lab-All About Birds, our North American cuckoos do not engage in the brood parasite behavior nearly as often as their European counterparts. Our native cuckoos will nest and raise their own young. Also, while cowbirds are easy to see and quite visible, our native cuckoo species are quite secretive! Cuckoos eat a lot of caterpillars; including bristly caterpillars like tent caterpillars and spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth) caterpillars. #BayBeachWildlifeSanctuary (fb)

Quill the porcupine at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (fb)