Brown-headed Cowbird in June

June is the height of the nesting season. Most resident and migrant species are raising young, migration is essentially over, and bird activity peaks at dawn. By late June the first fledglings of the year are everywhere — clumsy, loud, and constantly begging.

For the Brown-headed Cowbird specifically, June is a summer month inside the nesting season — one of the most active and demanding periods of this bird's year. Across the 58 states and provinces where cowbirds occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.

Southern states

absent

Mid-latitudes

year-round resident

Northern states & Canada

absent

In June, cowbirds are absent in the South, year-round resident across the mid-latitudes, and absent in the northern states and Canada. That north–south split is the defining feature of this month: where you live changes which version of this bird you're looking at.

June is inside the Brown-headed Cowbird nesting season. Nest: builds no nest — lays eggs in the nests of other species. Clutch up to 36 eggs per season, one per host nest, incubation 10–12 days, —.

The season is broadly synchronized across the range this month. During the nesting months, adults switch to protein-rich foods for their young, become more secretive around the nest site, and often visit feeders in quick, purposeful trips rather than lingering.

• Grasshoppers, beetles and grass seeds

A brood parasite — it lays eggs in other birds' nests. Feeding less millet and avoiding platform scatter reduces cowbird crowds.

Expect to see adults carrying food away rather than eating it — they're feeding nestlings. Fledglings visiting feeders with their parents are a June highlight.

Full Brown-headed Cowbird diet guide → · Best feeder for cowbirds →

In June, the best watching is around food rather than the nest — adults make repeated foraging trips and are most visible at dawn and dusk. Give nesting birds space: if a bird is carrying food or scolding you persistently, you're close to a nest and should back off.

The state guides below show exactly where in your region cowbirds are expected this month and which native plants hold them in a yard.

AlabamaAlbertaArizonaArkansasBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineManitoba