Finch Nest Parasitized by Cowbird!

This nest was built by a house finch. The mother finch laid 5 eggs. A cowbird laid a 6th egg. Cowbirds are a type of bird that lays its eggs in other nests and does not raise its own. This is known as brood parasitism. The finch mother does not realize that there is an imposter egg in its nest. She will brood and raise the cowbird as if it was her own chick. This video shows the nest with the cowbird egg in it and the cowbirds first few hours. Cowbirds hatch in 10-12 days whereas finch chicks hatch in 13-14 days. This gives the cowbird an advantage as it will be bigger than the rest of the chicks. Stay tuned for more videos of the finch nest!

Another well known parasite bird is the cuckoo.

#birdnest #broodparasitism #babybirds