A nest parasite which lays its eggs in the nests of other, generally smaller, birds, leaving the eggs to be incubated and young fed by the "adoptive parent". The cowbird hatchling often pushes the younger offspring of its host out of the nest to their death and can have a negative impact on local populations of host species. The cowbird of the North Country is the native Brown Headed Cowbird ( Molothrus ater).
Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus Molothrus in the family Icteridae. They are brood parasitic New World birds which are unrelated to the Old World cuckoos, one of which, the Common Cuckoo is the best-known brood parasitic bird.