Did you spot the LBJ right away? Or are you wondering why I posted an out-of-focus pic of Bia this morning? 🙂
These little birds are still following the horses along as they graze, apparently because they scatter bugs/insects that the birds then gobble right up. A win-win for the birds. And the horses don’t seem to mind them whatsoever.
Here’s what Google AI has to say when you inquire what kinds of birds might follow horses as they graze:
The small, brown birds that often follow horses and other grazing animals are likely Brown-headed Cowbirds. They are known for their association with livestock, benefiting from the insects that are stirred up by the animals’ movements.
Here’s why they’re so commonly seen with horses:
- Diet: Brown-headed Cowbirds primarily eat seeds and grains, but they also consume a significant amount of insects. Grazing livestock, like horses, disturb the ground, bringing insects to the surface, making them easier for the birds to catch.Â
Brood Parasitism:
Brown-headed Cowbirds are brood parasites, meaning they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, and those other birds raise their chicks. While not directly related to their association with horses, this behavior is a notable feature of their lifecycle.
Habitat:
Brown-headed Cowbirds are found in grasslands, prairies, and other open habitats where livestock graze, making them common companions of horses [and mustangs].Â
But while the pic that accompanies the above information looks just like the bird I saw with Bia, this link to “brown-headed cowbirds” doesn’t look like it at all. However, this link, which uses the same pic that accompanies the AI description, after a long description and comparison to various other, similar birds, calls it a juvenile brown-headed cowbird, and it does look like the LBJ accompanying Bia. 🙂
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 
I love these guys, TJ! We’ve seen them following livestock around here off and on and of course around the mustangs. We finally had to look them up and discovered all the wonderful things you did. Thank you for the photo and info, TJ!
It really is fun to watch them flitting around the horses … who just graze with complete tolerance, even when they flutter up right from under the noses. 🙂
So many questions about the LBJ! Why use another birds nest? Are the other birds all the same species? Thank you, TJ for another interesting fact of life!
I don’t know answers to either of your questions! They’re good ones! 🙂 I just love to observe the grand diversity of life on this planet … and within Spring Creek Basin. If only we humans as a species could collectively learn the lessons they teach us.
Here, here
What a cute little guy or gal!
And very quick! 🙂 Hard to catch in focus with its head above the grasses!
A lovely bird and a lovely mustang together.
It’s fun to see them moseying about together. Perfectly at peace, together. 🙂
I saw my first (to know what it was) a week or so ago when I was talking to the (now former) Refuge Director. “Brown-headed cowbird,” she said, pointing to a fence post.
They’d be cool to see following along with the pronghorns. 🙂 Or bison!