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Brown-headed Cowbird female / Molothrus ater

Photographed on yesterday morning's walk in South Glenmore Park. The Brown-headed Cowbird is a brood parasitic icterid - these words are from Wikipedia and new ones to me, lol!

"'Brood parasitic' means that it lays its eggs in the nests of other small passerines (perching birds), particularly those that build cup-like nests. The Brown-headed Cowbird eggs have been documented in nests of at least 220 host species, including hummingbirds and raptors. The young cowbird is fed by the host parents at the expense of their own young. Brown-headed Cowbird females can lay 36 eggs in a season. More than 140 different species of birds are known to have raised young cowbirds."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown-headed_Cowbird

Today, Wednesday June 8th, the world is celebrating both World Oceans Day and Clean Air Day. We all need to do so much more to protect both these vital resources!
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