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The brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) is a small cowbird in the icterid family, Icteridae. It is distinguished from other icterids by its finch-like head and beak and its smaller size. The adult male is iridescent black in color with a brown head, while the adult female is slightly smaller and is dull grey with a pale throat and very fine streaking on the underparts. The brown-headed cowbird is an obligate brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other small perching birds and relying on those birds to raise its young. Its eggs have been documented in the nests of at least 220 host species, including hummingbirds and raptors. This female brown-head cowbird was photographed in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in New York City.Photograph credit: Rhododendrites