Feed the Impostor Baby
This is a male Northern Cardinal feeding a baby Cowbird.
Cowbirds do not nest on their own. Instead they lay an egg in another bird's nest. Cowbird eggs hatch sooner than the host bird's eggs, and the cowbird baby is larger than the host bird's babies (if any of the host bird's babies survive.). There were no Cardinal babies this year in my yard.
This Cardinal was really confused. Not only did he feed the impostor in his nest, he also fed Starling fledglings.
Feed the Impostor Baby
This is a male Northern Cardinal feeding a baby Cowbird.
Cowbirds do not nest on their own. Instead they lay an egg in another bird's nest. Cowbird eggs hatch sooner than the host bird's eggs, and the cowbird baby is larger than the host bird's babies (if any of the host bird's babies survive.). There were no Cardinal babies this year in my yard.
This Cardinal was really confused. Not only did he feed the impostor in his nest, he also fed Starling fledglings.