Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 9, 2025
If a second Cowbird's egg is laid, in the new upper story of the nest, the Warblers generally abandon their home in despair, and choose a new nesting place; but sometimes they build a third story over the other two, and thus defeat the evil designs of both their enemies without giving up their home.
After Uncle Wiggily and the pussy had helped the robin get the cowbird's eggs out of her nest, as I told you in the story before this, the rabbit and the kittie stayed in the woods a little while talking to the mamma bird. "I should like to see the little robins hatch out of the eggs," said the pussy, as she frisked her tail about and smoothed out her fur. "So should I," added Uncle Wiggily.
And she grabbed up her eggs, and this time she took them to the monkey, who played five hand-organs at once. And the monkey was a good-natured sort of a chap, so he hatched out the cowbird's eggs for her, and soon he had a lot of little calfbirds, and when they grew up they gave him no end of trouble. "Well, now you are safe home," said Uncle Wiggily to the pussy, "I will travel on."
It was the warblers' first nesting, or they would have known, the moment they saw the large egg among their small ones, that they had been imposed upon, and would either have pushed the interloper out or built a second story to their home and left the cowbird's egg in the basement.
Major Bendire says that he once found the nest of an oven-bird containing seven cowbird's eggs and only one of the little owner's.
"What happens when the Cowbird's egg stays in the nest and hatches out? Aren't the other little birds squeezed and uncomfortable?" asked Dodo. "Yes, they are very uncomfortable indeed, and often starve to death; but you must wait to hear about that until we come to the Cowbird himself." "What family does he train with?" asked Nat. "With the Blackbirds and Orioles," said the Doctor.
"Not yet, but there are three of the cowbird's eggs here, and they will soon hatch out." "Why don't you toss out the cowbird's eggs?" asked the pussy. "Then you won't have to hatch them." "I would," said the robin, "only I am not strong enough, for I have been ill, and my husband is out of work and he is looking for some. So I don't know what to do about it. Oh, dear!" and she cried again. "Ha!
So pertinacious is this parasite upon bird society that my friend says that in Illinois, where the wood thrush represents the charming family, almost every wood thrush nest, in the early summer, contains a cowbird's egg; and not until they have reared one of the intruders can the birds hope to have a brood of their own.
The warbler is much disturbed when she discovers the strange egg, and her mate appears to share her agitation. Then after a time, and after the two have apparently considered the matter together, the mother bird proceeds to bury the egg by building another nest on top of the old one. If another cowbird's egg is dropped in this one, she will proceed to get rid of this in the same way.
"Oh, yes!" the Major answered. "Were they as big as this egg?" Mr. Crow inquired. Major Monkey explained that they were not. "Just as I supposed!" the old gentleman exclaimed. "This isn't a Warbler's egg. It's a Cowbird's egg. And you've done that Warbler family a good turn by taking it out of their nest. "I know Mrs. Cowbird," he went on. "She's too lazy to bring up her own children.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking