Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)

Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)

Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 

Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)

I saw these Brown-headed cowbirds in the Pawnee National Grassland somewhere right next to the Wyoming-Colorado-Nebraska border sometime around Labor Day, 2010.  These birds were just hanging out on the wire fence seen above when I was driving by with my sister.  I made her stop the car so I could take pics, and I didn't even notice the one on the cow's head until after I had already taken some pictures of the scene.  These all look like females.  An interesting thing about these ladybirds is that they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds of different species, and the let these other birds feed their young.  Apparently these birds are up for the parent of the year award.  You can read more about the Pawnee National Grassland here, more about the Brown-headed Cowbird here, and more about brood parasitism here.