Even the genus of the cowbird’s Latin name, Molothrus ater, probably deriving from the Greek molobros for “greedy fellow,” implies a bad reputation. Older sources say it also means vagabond, tramp or even parasite, and cowbirds are brood parasites—that is, laying their eggs in another species’ nest and not providing parental care. (Those are heavily speckled cowbird eggs in a house finch nest up top.)That we put our human values on cowbirds for leaving their children behind reminded me of something from a class on bird behavior:With that in mind, I confessed to BirdNote consulting scientist Dennis Paulson (also an expert on dragonflies, remember?) that I actually like cowbirds. I enjoyed the first male I’d seen in months, strutting his stuff here last week, like the male