Song Sung Blue? Blame the Cow Birds

Few would argue that the Grand Canyon is a visual wonder. For many the view wouldn’t be the same without the ongoing soundtrack provided by the more than one hundred nesting species of birds found throughout the park. The multi-varied calls of the songbirds in particular are inextricable to the Grand Canyon experience (to the dwindling number of visitors not wearing earphones that is). One of the biggest threats to the songbird population is the brown-headed cowbird. These parasitic birds lay their eggs in the nests of non-cowbirds, and leave it to the host bird to hatch and raise their offspring, often at the expense of the host birds own young. The National Park Service will be conducting a survey of songbird nests throughout the park this summer in an effort to determine the severity of the problem. You can help. If you are aware of a songbird nest in the park, please contact wildlife biologist Rosa Palarino. She will do her best to include every known nest in the study. Ms. Palarino can be reached at rosa_palarino@nps.gov.