Nest Parasite
Next mating season, this female Brown-headed Cowbird will lay eggs in another bird's nest, and leave them to be tended by the host bird. The eggs will hatch in a shorter time than the host's eggs, and the fast-growing chicks will be fed by the host bird. Often, the host bird's eggs or her chicks will be pushed out of the nest.
In my yard, I have seen an adult House Sparrow feeding the much larger cowbird juvenile, and a Northern Cardinal feeding a cowbird hatchling.
(The male cowbird is black with a brown head, hence the name Brown-headed Cowbird.)
Nest Parasite
Next mating season, this female Brown-headed Cowbird will lay eggs in another bird's nest, and leave them to be tended by the host bird. The eggs will hatch in a shorter time than the host's eggs, and the fast-growing chicks will be fed by the host bird. Often, the host bird's eggs or her chicks will be pushed out of the nest.
In my yard, I have seen an adult House Sparrow feeding the much larger cowbird juvenile, and a Northern Cardinal feeding a cowbird hatchling.
(The male cowbird is black with a brown head, hence the name Brown-headed Cowbird.)