The Brown-headed Cowbird: North America’s avian brood parasite

Peer, Brian D.; Rivers, James W.; Rothstein, Stephen I.

doi:10.5122/cbirds.2013.0006

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…2004; Robles and Ciudad 2017) and increase resilience from demographic and environmental stochasticity (Harrison 1991; Hanski and Gyllenberg 1993). Our decision to keep floaters in the population is consistent with territoriality patterns in birds (Newton 1992; Penteriani et al . 2011).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Spatially structured brown-headed cowbird control measures and their effects on Kirtland’s warbler long-term population sustainability

Margenau

Cooper²,

Brown³

et al. 2022

Wildlife Res.

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Context Brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), through brood parasitism, can exert extrinsic population growth pressures on North American songbirds. Cowbird removal programs may reduce parasitism rates on host species but can be expensive and difficult to implement throughout a host species’ breeding range. Aim We estimated cowbird abundance and nest parasitism rates within Kirtland’s warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) primary breeding range in Michigan, USA, and determined the maximum sustainable parasitism rate for Kirtland’s warblers under several spatially structured cowbird removal designs. Methods We conducted point counts to estimate cowbird abundance and monitored nests to quantify nest parasitism rates during 2019–2021. We used the modelling software STELLA to determine the maximum sustainable parasitism rate for Kirtland’s warblers under different spatially structured cowbird removal scenarios (complete, core-only, and no removal). Key results Cowbird abundance and parasitism rates remained low following cowbird trap closures in 2018. In the simulation study, complete removal was the most robust scenario with no replications having <1000 Kirtland’s warbler males. The core-only removal scenario had a substantially higher sustainable parasitism rate in the peripheral breeding area than the no removal scenario. Assumed hatch-year dispersal distance had the greatest impact on the maximum sustainable parasitism rate in the core-only scenario. Conclusions Low cowbird abundance and nest parasitism following suspension of cowbird removal efforts showed resuming the removal program may not be required in the short-term. If cowbird abundance increases, however, adaptive cowbird removal programs can be used to sustain Kirtland’s warbler populations long-term. Implications Our results indicate that incorporating spatial structure of host species’ habitat into designing cowbird removal programs may minimise costs of cowbird management while sustaining populations of Kirtland’s warbler and possibly other host species that are affected by brood parasitism.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Spatially structured brown-headed cowbird control measures and their effects on Kirtland’s warbler long-term population sustainability

Margenau

Cooper²,

Brown³

et al. 2022

Wildlife Res.

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“…In the early twentieth century, cowbird populations increased rapidly in California because of anthropogenic activities such as deforestation and agricultural practices that provided habitat for cowbirds (Rothstein 1994). As the most widespread native obligate brood parasite in North America (Peer et al 2013), the cowbird has been documented laying eggs in the nests of ≥249 species (Lowther 2018); small host species with open, cup‐shaped nests are particularly vulnerable (Friedmann 1929). Cowbird parasitism has been cited as a cause of population declines for the vireo (Franzreb 1989, USFWS 2002).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Developing an adaptive management approach to cowbird control on the Santa Clara River, California

et al. 2022

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Brood parasitism by the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) has caused population declines for conservation-reliant songbird species such as the federally and state endangered subspecies least Bell's vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus). Although cowbird trapping has increased vireo populations, it is costly, and may prevent the development of parasitism-avoidance behaviors and result in high rates of non-target species captures. Therefore, wildlife managers have a compelling interest in evaluating multiple means of cowbird control. We conducted a study between 2016 and 2018 on the Santa Clara River (SCR) in Ventura County, California, USA, to test how the removal of cowbird traps would affect cowbird parasitism of the vireo. At our control site, cowbird trapping occurred in spring using modified Australian crow (Corvus spp.) traps. At our treatment site, we stopped this method of trapping and instead used target-netting of individual cowbirds and a very short duration trap to capture specific individual cowbirds (i.e., contingency trapping). We also tested the impact of shortening the cowbird trapping period on nest parasitism rates, and used point counts to compare cowbird densities between sites. Additionally, we compared the costs of these techniques. A shorter trapping period still resulted in a large number of cowbird captures on the control site (n = 452 captures) with no observed brood parasitism

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“…Urbanization can substantially alter interactions between brood parasites and their hosts, though in some systems urbanization is associated with reduced rates of brood parasitism (Rodewald et al 2013, Buxton et al 2018, and in others it is associated with increased rates of brood parasitism (Burhans and Thompson 2006, Tewksbury et al 2006, Rodewald 2009, Padilla and Sutherland 2022. The most common brood parasite in North America is the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater; hereafter "cowbirds"; Peer et al 2013), a native species of songbird that has historically used human-disturbed habitats (i.e., farmlands; Chace et al 2005) and is now successfully inhabiting urban environments (Rodewald 2009, Padilla andSutherland 2022). Cowbird offspring compete with host offspring for resources provided by host parents (Rothstein 1975, Lichtenstein and Sealy 1998, Kilner et al 2004, Moskát et al 2017, often resulting in reduced host nestling hatch rate, growth rate, and survival (Lorenzana and Sealy 1999, Hauber 2003, Hoover 2003, Scharf et al 2021.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are urbanization and brood parasitism associated with differences in telomere lengths in song sparrows?

Lane,

Vernasco,

Fossett

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Urbanization reflects a major form of environmental change impacting wild birds globally. Whereas urban habitats may provide increased availability of water, some food items, and reduced predation levels compared to rural, they can also present novel stressors including increased light at night, ambient noise, and reduced nutrient availability. Urbanization can also alter levels of brood parasitism, with some host species experiencing elevated levels of brood parasitism in urban areas compared to rural areas. Though the demographic and behavioral consequences of urbanization and brood parasitism have received considerable attention, their consequences for cellular-level processes are less understood. Telomeres provide an opportunity to understand the cellular consequences of different environments as they are a well-established metric of biological state that can be associated with residual lifespan, disease risk, and behaviour, and are known to be sensitive to environmental conditions. Here we examine the relationships between urbanization, brood parasitism, and blood telomere lengths in adult and nestling song sparrows (Melospiza melodia). Song sparrows are a North American songbird found in both urban and rural habitats that experience high rates of brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in the urban, but not the rural, sites in our study system. Among adults and nestlings from non-parasitized nests, we found no differences in relative telomere lengths between urban and rural habitats. However, among urban nestlings, the presence of a brood parasite in the nest was associated with significantly shorter relative telomere lengths compared to when a brood parasite was absent. Our results suggest a novel, indirect, impact of urbanization on nestling songbirds through the physiological impacts of brood parasitism.

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The Brown-headed Cowbird: North America’s avian brood parasite

Cited by 8 publications

References 90 publications

Spatially structured brown-headed cowbird control measures and their effects on Kirtland’s warbler long-term population sustainability

Spatially structured brown-headed cowbird control measures and their effects on Kirtland’s warbler long-term population sustainability

Developing an adaptive management approach to cowbird control on the Santa Clara River, California

Are urbanization and brood parasitism associated with differences in telomere lengths in song sparrows?

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