BROWN HEADED COWBIRDS, 2: Whether you call 'em cowbird or bison bird, the destruction they cause is the same...details on Passport to Texas This is Passport to Texas Supported by the WSFR Program Calling a brown-headed cowbird a cowbird, is a misnomer as far as biologist Marsha May is concerned. I think they should be called bison birds, and not cowbirds, because they evolved with the bison. :05 Semantics aside, the bird's habit of laying its eggs in other birds' nests can cause the decline of species with small populations, such as the endangered Black-capped Vireo. Additional species are also affected. Woodland species are now being impacted by brown-headed cowbirds, because we've fragmented the woods. Previously those woodland species were protected by the woods. Now that it's fragmented, the cowbirds are getting into that habitat, and they're parasitizing birds that have never historically been parasitized before. :19 The cowbird is in the blackbird family. The male has a black body and brown head, while the female is mottled brown and gray. Want to intervene on songbirds' behalf. You can actually become certified in Texas to trap for cowbirds, and that's mainly during the breeding season, between March first and May thirty-first. And, mainly you're trying to trap the females. :11 Get ready for spring. Find certification information ont eh Texas Parks and Wildlife website. That's our show ... the WSFR program supports our series and is funded by your purchase of shooting and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel. For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti. Total sound bite time: 0:35.0 Maximum Script time: 0:50.0 Suggested show time: 85.0 = 1:25