BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 7, 2023
In a way, it’s hard not to admire the female cowbird. This is a bird that has evolved to not only never need a nest, but also to have other birds raise its young. In the bird world, this is known as brood parasitism. Instead of building a nest, the female cowbird puts all of her energy into producing eggs that she lays in the nests of other bird species. This is happening now in Maine, according to a bird expert with Maine Audubon. It is not uncommon at this time of year to spot the much larger egg of a cowbird tucked in with the tinier eggs laid by the oftentimes smaller bird who built the nest.