The female Brown-headed Cowbird doesn’t come to mind quickly if we think about an attractive bird. It needs something different to tell a story about this bird. I used the texture of the fresh leaves in a bush of peonies to make the gray of the cowbird’s feathers stand out. The bird had just landed on the metal ring that holds the flowers together and started spreading its tail and feathers. That little gesture makes all the difference between this shot and several other ones I took with the bird hopping on the ground.
We see the Brown-headed Cowbird only occasionally. They are nest parasites and go around and lay one egg in the nest of another bird species. I read that up to thirty-six eggs are laid per nesting season. They hatch usually first and outcompete the young birds of the host. (source: iBird Pro app)