Question from Pennsylvania, USA (1 Viewer)

[JCA]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
March 2023
Birdfeeder

Anyone have any thoughts on this bird? Could it possibly be a pregnant House Finch? I saw it one day in late March and haven’t seen it since. It’s the size of a finch, but I never saw one so fat.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[KeesJ]

I don't know what bird this is, but it does not look well in my eyes.

 

[nartreb]

brown-headed cowbird, female.

 

[JCA]

brown-headed cowbird, female.

Thank you! I do get a ton of brown-headed cowbirds, both male and female. I've never seen one with this body shape. Could it be pregnant?

 

[Mick Harris]

I don't know what bird this is, but it does not look well in my eyes.

Agree looks very sick to me also hence it's less than sleek plumage.

 

[rkj]

It may be a little early in the year for it to be carrying an egg. I think it is just scrunched down and fluffed up, making it look chubby.

 

[nartreb]

Thank you! I do get a ton of brown-headed cowbirds, both male and female. I've never seen one with this body shape. Could it be pregnant?

"Pregnant" isn't quite the right word to use on birds, but I suppose they do get a bit heavier when they're about to lay eggs. But I've never been able to notice. Birds can fluff up their feathers, making them look bigger. They do that when they're cold, for example. If your bird is sick (it might be, something about its posture, closed eyes, ... it just doesn't seem active and alert) it might be feverish.

It's still pretty early for egg-laying, though you're probably a couple weeks ahead of me. Cowbirds are obligate brood parasites, they need to wait for other species to build nests that the cowbirds can sneak their eggs into. I haven't seen any nest-building yet - the trees are bare so there's no cover for branch-nesting species, and even the cavity-builders don't have much grass or other materials to work with.

 

[JCA]

Thanks, everyone, for the replies. I love this site! It was a cold and very windy day, so she was probably scrunching down and fluffing her feathers.