Some consider brown-headed cowbirds to be a threat. Setting up backyard bird feeders and birdbaths is an easy way to enjoy birdwatching in your yard while supporting local bird populations. However, ...

Brown-headed cowbirds are hard to love. They aren’t pretty or melodious. And worst of all, they’re deadbeat parents, tricking other birds into rearing their young. Many people regard them as villains.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Cowbird eggs in a house finch nest, courtesy Lindsay Arnold Chipping sparrow nests are known to be parasitized by brown-headed ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. GrrlScientist writes about evolution, ecology, behavior and health. Most birders don’t much like cowbirds because the adults lay ...

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 ...

Unlike most other bird species, the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) lays its eggs in the nests of other bird species and leaves the host to raise its young—a behavior known as brood parasitism.