Hi Tweets,

Thanks for the enlightening corrections from Christine Maack and Deb
Beutler. I fell into the 'I ain't seen it; it don't exist' hole,
generalising from personal local observation. The positive outcome of my
stupidity was learning for the first time that raising cowbirds isn't
necessarily all-or-nothing for the other young. Must have been equating
cowbird young behavior with that of European Cuckoo young, where it turfs
the other eggs and young. So many assumptions, so little time. Sigh. '-)

Would it be fair to assume then that plains species might have arrived at
some evolutionary status quo with cowbirds that forest birds have yet to evolve?

Michael Price The Sleep of Reason Gives Birth to Monsters
Vancouver BC Canada -Goya
mprice at mindlink.net