Home brown-headed cowbirds
A brooding female Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina) on a nest containing two 4-day-old nestlings. The bill and head of one of the nestlings is visible on the female’s left. Photo by Ron Mumme.

Living with cowbird nest parasitism—and thriving

By Ronald L. Mumme and Claire Lignac Linked paper: Brood parasitism of Hooded Warblers by Brown-headed Cowbirds: Severe impact on individual nests but modest consequences for seasonal fecundity and conservation by Claire Lignac and Ronald L. Mumme, Ornithological Applications.  Even the most ardent bird enthusiasts find it tough to love the Brown-headed Cowbird. An obligate …

2021 Elliott Coues Award Winner: Peter Arcese

Over the coming weeks, we will continue to feature profiles of the previously announced winners of this year’s AOS awards in a series of posts on Wing Beat. The AOS Elliott Coues Award recognizes outstanding and innovative contributions to ornithological research, with no limitation with respect to geographic area, sub-discipline(s) of ornithology, or the time …