Cowbirds are common in the area, and in winter they can be seen in large flocks, together with other kinds of blackbirds. The full name is brown-headed cowbird to distinguish it from two other ...

If we were bison, we’d probably have a much higher opinion of brown-headed cowbirds. You’d be hard-pressed to find a birding enthusiast — or anyone else, for that matter — that holds much love for the ...

Every spring I get reports from astonished readers describing a small bird feeding a much larger, obviously begging chick. Can you explain this, readers ask. The answer is “brood parasitism.” ...

In late spring and early summer, birds are busy building nests and raising their young. However, one exception is the freeloading Brown-headed Cowbird, laying its eggs in the nests of other birds, a ...

Female brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) singing at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge near New York City. (Credit: Rhododendrites / CC BY-SA 4.0) Brown-headed cowbirds, Molothrus ater, are fascinating ...

Cowbirds are special among songbirds for the "watery" timbre of their singing, which resembles the sound of falling droplets striking water, a quick burst followed by a fading ripple.