Brown-headed Cowbird

This male Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) showed up at the feeders today. I photographed the more plain looking female a few days ago. These birds are called brood parasites because the female cowbird does not build her own nest. She lays her eggs in the nests of other bird species, who then raise the baby cowbirds for her. This seems to be a successful strategy because this species is abundant here.