Brown Headed Cowbird - Male

This picture was taken in our back yard on 26th April, 2008. Another name for Cowbirds is "Lazy bird". They've earned that title. They don't build nests of their own but instead lay their eggs in other birds' nest who then raise the chicks. Many times the cowbird chick is larger than the hosts' own chicks and will get most of the food and sometimes force the other chicks out of the nest. Not only do they lay their eggs in other birds nest but I've seen them remove and egg from the nest and then come back and lay an egg of it's own.