Brown Headed Cowbird, pesserines 5/3/2010

This small black bird with a brown head was photographed in Wehr Nature Center, Franklin Wisconsin.

The female Brown-Headed Cowbird.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Brown Headed Cowbird

The male Brown-Headed Cowbird is black with a brown head. The female is gray with a lighter throat. They can be seen in most of the United States. They have a habitat on farms, fields, barnyards, roadsides, wooded edges, and groves. They follow cattle and feed on insects from the grass. Cowbirds are known for laying eggs in other bird nests, leaving them for the other birds to raise them. They are known for having parasites and spreading them to other birds.

 

Brown Thrasher Bird – passerines – 7/11/2010

The Brown Thrasher was photographed at Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, North Carolina

For me, the Brown Thrasher has been a difficult bird to photograph, because of its habitat and skittishness.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Brown Thrasher

The Brown Thrasher is a very skittish bird that quickly heads for undergrowth when it is approached. It can be heard and seen running from growth to growth, but is hard to catch for a photo. It is fairly easy to identify with its color, breast stripes, and cat song voice with an occasional crack sound.