This purple finch nest with four finch eggs and one from a brown-headed cowbird, a notorious brood parasite. Photo courtesy of Tom Tatum Some would-be hosts of the cowbird eggs take matters into ...

This purple finch nest with four finch eggs and one from a brown-headed cowbird, a notorious brood parasite. Photo courtesy of Tom Tatum Some would-be hosts of the cowbird eggs take matters into ...

This purple finch nest with four finch eggs and one from a brown-headed cowbird, a notorious brood parasite. Photo courtesy of Tom Tatum Some would-be hosts of the cowbird eggs take matters into ...

This purple finch nest with four finch eggs and one from a brown-headed cowbird, a notorious brood parasite. Photo courtesy of Tom Tatum Some would-be hosts of the cowbird eggs take matters into ...

A brown-headed cowbird rests on the back of a bison Tuesday, July 09, 2024, at Yellowstone National Park. Credit: Pat Sutphin. American bison symbolize resilience, and today, their thriving ...

At first glance, it is easy to mistake a brown-headed cowbird for just another grackle. But it isn’t. That brown head is a dead giveaway. It is also smaller with a shorter tail. Its head is ...

If Thomas Brown’s year-end comments on the state of the Bears were a preview of his interview for the head job, general manager Ryan Poles and the hiring committee got an earful.. The Bears ...

Many species of birds get reputations of various sorts. One species that gets a bad rap, through no fault of its own, is the brown-headed cowbird. The female cowbird lays ...

Many species of birds get reputations of various sorts. One species that gets a bad rap, through no fault of its own, is the brown-headed cowbird. The female cowbird lays ...

Many species of birds get reputations of various sorts. One species that gets a bad rap, through no fault of its own, is the brown-headed cowbird. The female cowbird lays its eggs in the nests of ...

But it seems the brown-headed cowbird excels at it, outsourcing the parenting work to more than 220 bird species, including the smaller-sized sparrows, grosbeaks and barn swallows.

When the host bird is away from its nest, the female brown-headed cowbird will sneak in to lay her eggs. If the host bird rejects the cowbird eggs, the brown-headed cowbird female may destroy the host ...