>Too bad we can't find cowbirds that will parasitize pigeons,
>starlings and
>house sparrows and only those species. It'd take care of two
>problems at the
>same time...

Excellent idea! The birding community could sponsor (purely
in the interests of science, of course) a breeding program
designed to produce cowbirds who would do so. Perhaps a
long term program to gradually change to style of man
made nests in a huge enclosure from open to cavity and
let the open-minded cowbirds breed. Or something.
-Or is it that the starlings and sparrows won't allow
the cowbird to be successful? Perhaps we should breed
stupider sparrows then?

So that makes me ask: is it the case that cowbirds parasitize
only open bowl-shaped nests? Do they ever go after cavity
nests? I'm afraid I don't know much about them.

Bob Mauritsen
bluetooth at csi.com