California TrailThis tree is one of my favorite trees in Carson City. It is filled with red-winged blackbirds, European starlings and one of my favorites, the brown-headed cowbird. This tree is one of my favorite trees in Carson City. In spring and summer, it is often filled with red-winged blackbirds, European starlings and one of my favorites, the brown-headed cowbird.

I've seen and heard many birds along the California Trail, Carson City wetlands, Prison Hill, Riverview Park, Mexican Dam area and the Empire Mill Trail.

Yet the one that stood out among the ospreys, eagles, crows, mountain bluebirds, robins, red-tailed blackbirds, etc. was the brown-headed cowbird just a few minutes off the Saliman Street entrance, where this tree is located.

It was such an unusual sound that I stopped and took out my smartphone and tapped my Merlin bird app that records sounds. Among the birds recorded was the brown-headed cowbird, and one several recent days (April 2023).

According to Wikipedia, "The brown-headed cowbird is typical for an icterid in general shape, but is distinguished by its finch-like head and beak and smaller size. The adult male is iridescent black in color with a brown head. The adult female is slightly smaller and is dull grey with a pale throat and very fine streaking on the underparts."

1200px-Cowbirdsincourtship copyBrown-headed cowbird male (right) courting female. Wikipedia photo taken by Jan Malik (CC BY 2.5). I often see and hear this bird on the California Trail in Carson City. I haven't yet brought out my pro camera gear to take a good photo, however, so I'll use this Wikipedia photo instead that is quite a decent capture of a male and female.

The birds are not large. Wikipedia says they range from 6.3 to 8.7 inches with an average wingspan of 14 inches. Their body weight can range from approximately 1.3 to 1.7, with males being larger.

"The species lives in open or semi-open country, and often travels in flocks, sometimes mixed with red-winged blackbirds (particularly in spring) and bobolinks (particularly in fall), as well as common grackles or European starlings.

"These birds forage on the ground, often following grazing animals such as horses and cattle to catch insects stirred up by the larger animals. They mainly eat seeds and insects."

They've been a part of the West for a long time.

"Before European settlement, brown-headed cowbirds followed bison herds across the prairies," according to Wikipedia. "Their population expanded with the clearing of forested areas and the introduction of new grazing animals by settlers across North America. They are now commonly seen at suburban birdfeeders."