Posted by Stephen Paez on January 01, 1970 at 00:00:00
The male in non-breeding plumage looks like the female. They are nest parasites but unlike some other well known parasite species they do not destroy the eggs of the host nor do the nestlings push the host nestlings out of the nest or cause them to starve. If they are breeding here I am not sure what hosts they could use. Scaly-breasted Munia? In the wild they use Waxbills and the only population of waxbills I have seen are Orange-cheeked Waxbills at Zoo Miami. There was a small population there for a few years but I have not heard that they have been seen recently though some employees say they have heard them this year.