Illinois Featured Content

  • Cowbird moms choosy when selecting foster parents for their young

    May 23, 2017 10:00 am by Trish L. BarkerResearch
    Cowbird moms pay attention to the size of eggs in the nests they choose for egg-laying, a new study finds. Inset: Two cowbird eggs in the nest of a northern cardinal, with two (larger) eggs of its own. Photo by Loren Merrill; Inset photo by Scott Chiavacci

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    • Cowbird moms pay attention to the size of eggs in the nests they choose for egg-laying, a new study finds. Inset: Two cowbird eggs in the nest of a northern cardinal, with two (larger) eggs of its own. Photo by Loren Merrill; Inset photo by Scott Chiavacci

    Despite their reputation as uncaring, absentee moms, cowbird mothers are capable of making sophisticated choices among potential nests in order to give their offspring a better chance of thriving, a new study shows.