Brown-headed cowbird

I'm quite excited about this week's bird, because I've been wanting to see one ever since I got my my field guide, and just the other day a brown-headed cowbird hove into view.

It's not particularly showy, but the picture in my field guide is of a big fluffy proud bird perched on a branch, giving the camera the eyeball, and there's something about it that I like very much.  I was surprised to find that it looks a lot like a grackle - same size, same black iridescent plumage except for the head which is a rusty beige colour.

 Despite looking I never saw one all last summer.  I had started to think that they were only to be found around livestock (they hang around cattle apparently to get at the insects and other delicacies that get raked up).  Here he was though, proving me wrong.  He was happily grazing with some grackles and I've seen them a couple of times since then.

I hope it isn't breeding, though, because it's a parasitic nester, laying its eggs for other birds to raise. I'm thinking of our nice little cardinal family, the flickers, grackles and catbirds.  It's hard enough for these birds raising their own chicks, without the added burden of a second, cowbird, family.  As long as they're just passing through and feeding they provide welcome variety, but really these cowbirds need to develop some social responsibility.