Dallas Retirement Village resident David Stewart supplied this week's photo. It was taken on the shrubbery of David and Bette's Lodge residence patio. The white head striping of the bird on the right easily identifies it as an adult, White-crowned Sparrow. I first assumed the bird on the left was a juvenile, White-crowned Sparrow. Close examination revealed another story, it's a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird!! Brown-headed Cowbirds are unique in that they do not build or use a nest of their own. Instead, the female lays her eggs in other birds' nests. This juvenile has in all likelihood hatched in this White-crowned Sparrows nest, which may explain what I perceive as a confused look of the parent at this oversized different looking juvenile.
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