According to the species account for Lazuli Bunting in "Birds of Oregon: A
General Reference" (Marshall, Hunter and Contreras, eds., OSU Press, 2003),
this species is a "frequent cowbird host throughout its range." Today on a
ranch in the Soap Creek Valley north of Corvallis, I saw confirmation of this
as a dazzling blue male bunting stuffed an insect into the maw of a cowbird
chick that was already bigger than its adoptive dad. Happily, though, I also
saw plenty of baby buntings flying around and being attended by their parents.
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
