Parasite Tree
Not the tree actually, but the parasitic birds in the tree, Brown-headed Cowbirds. The dark-colored birds in the picture are the males, light-colored ones are females. More specifically, they are "brood parasites", laying an egg in another bird's nest, leaving the care and feeding of the hatchling to the host bird.
The cowbird eggs often hatch faster than the host bird's, and displace the other hatchlings. One would think that the host bird would recognize that it was feeding a different species in its nest, but I witnessed a Northern Cardinal nesting in my backyard, feeding a cowbird, the only hatchling to survive in the nest. (shown in first picture in the comments below)
Parasite Tree
Not the tree actually, but the parasitic birds in the tree, Brown-headed Cowbirds. The dark-colored birds in the picture are the males, light-colored ones are females. More specifically, they are "brood parasites", laying an egg in another bird's nest, leaving the care and feeding of the hatchling to the host bird.
The cowbird eggs often hatch faster than the host bird's, and displace the other hatchlings. One would think that the host bird would recognize that it was feeding a different species in its nest, but I witnessed a Northern Cardinal nesting in my backyard, feeding a cowbird, the only hatchling to survive in the nest. (shown in first picture in the comments below)