The Bird Book Part 59

Page 283

445. GRAY KINGBIRD. _Tyrannus dominicensis._

Range.--West Indies; north in April to Florida and the South Atlantic States to South Carolina and casually farther.

This species is slightly larger than our Kingbird, (9 inches long), grayish instead of dark drab above, white below, and without any white tip to tail. Like the common Kingbird, it has a concealed orange patch on the crown. Their habits and nesting habits are the same as those of our common bird, but the nest is not generally as well built, and nearly always is made largely of twigs. The three or four eggs have a creamy or a creamy pink ground color, spotted and blotched with dark brown and lilac, most numerously about the large end. Size 1.00 .73. Tarpon Springs, Florida, May 28, 1802. Nest of twigs and weeds in a low bush.

Collector, J. A. Southley.

446. COUCH'S KINGBIRD. _Tyrannus melancholicus couchi._

Range.--Mexico, north in summer to southern Texas.

This species is very similar to the next but the throat and breast are white, and the underparts a brighter yellow. Like the other members of this genus, these build their nests in any location in trees or bushes, making them of twigs, weeds and moss. Their three or four eggs have a creamy ground with a pinkish cast and are spotted with brown and lilac.

Size .97 .12.

447. ARKANSAS KINGBIRD. _Tyrannus verticalis._

Range.--Western United States and southern British Provinces from Kansas and Minnesota west to the Pacific.

This species has grayish upper parts, shading into darker on the wings and tail, and lighter on the throat and upper breast; the underparts are yellow, and there is a concealed patch of orange on the crown. They are very abundant throughout the west, where they have the same familiar habits of the eastern species, nesting in all sorts of locations such as would be used by the latter. Their nests are made of plant fibres, weeds, string, paper or any trash that may be handy, being sometimes quite bulky. Their eggs do not differ in any particular from those of the eastern bird, except that they may average a little smaller. Size .95 .65.

[Ill.u.s.tration 285: Creamy.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Gray Kingbird.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Buff.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Arkansas Kingbird.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: right hand margin.]

Page 284

448. Ca.s.sIN'S KINGBIRD. _Tyrannus vociferans._

Range.--Western United States from the Rocky Mountain region to California, and from Wyoming southward.

This species is like the last except that the throat and breast are darker. Their habits, nesting habits and eggs are indistinguishable from those of the other Tyrant Flycatchers, and they are fully as courageous in the defense of their homes against either man or bird, their notes resembling those of the common Kingbird of the east.

449. DERBY FLYCATCHER. _Pitangus sulphuratus derbia.n.u.s._

Range.--Mexico and Central America, breeding north to southern Texas.

This handsome bird is the largest of the Flycatcher family found in the United States, being 11 inches in length. It has a black crown enclosing a yellow crown patch; a broad black stripe from the bill, through the eye and around the back of the head, is separated from the crown by a white forehead and line over the eye; the throat is white shading into yellow on the underparts. They are abundant in the interior of Mexico, but can hardly be cla.s.sed as common over our border, where they nest in limited numbers. Their nests are unlike those of any of our other Flycatchers being large ma.s.ses of moss, weeds and gra.s.s, arched over on top and with the entrance on the side. The three or four eggs are creamy white, sprinkled chiefly about the large end with small reddish brown or umber spots; size 1.15 .85.

[Ill.u.s.tration 286: Buff.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Derby Flycatcher.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Creamy white.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: deco.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: left hand margin.]

Page 285

451. SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. _Myiodynastes luteiventris._

Range.--Mexico and Central America, breeding north to the Mexican border of Arizona.

This peculiar Flycatcher, which is unlike any other American species, can only be regarded as a rare breeding bird in the Huachuca Mts. It is 8 inches in length, has a grayish back streaked with black, the tail largely rusty brown and the underparts sulphur yellow, streaked on the breast and sides with dusky; a yellow crown patch is bordered on either side by a stripe of mottled dusky, and is separated from the blackish patch through the eye, by white superciliary lines. Their habits are similar to those of the genus Myiarchus, and, like them, they nest in cavities in trees, and lay from three to five eggs of a creamy buff color thickly spotted and blotched with brown and purplish, the markings not a.s.suming the scratchy appearance of the Crested Flycatchers, but looking more like those of a Cardinal; size of egg 1.05 .75.

Data.--Huachuca Mts., Arizona, June 29, 1901. 4 eggs. Nest in the natural cavity of a live sycamore tree about fifty feet from the ground; composed of twigs. Collector, O. W. Howard.

452. CRESTED FLYCATCHER. _Myiarchus crinitus._

Range.--North America, east of the Plains, and from New Brunswick and Manitoba southward; winters from the Gulf States southward.

This trim and graceful, but quarrelsome, species is grayish on the head, neck, and breast, shading to greenish on the back and quite abruptly into bright yellow on the underparts; the head is slightly crested and the inner webs of all the lateral tail feathers are reddish brown. They are abundant in most of their range but are generally shy so they are not as often seen as many other more rare birds. They nest in cavities of any kind of trees and at any elevation from the ground, the nest being made of twigs, weeds and trash, and generally having incorporated into its make-up a piece of cast off snake skin. They lay from four to six eggs of a buffy color, blotched and lined with dark brown and lavender. Size .85 .65.

[Ill.u.s.tration 287: Creamy buff.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Crested Flycatcher.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Buff.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: right hand margin.]

Page 286

453. ARIZONA CRESTED FLYCATCHER. _Myiarchus magister magister._

Range.--Southern Arizona and New Mexico, south through Mexico.

This bird is very similar to, but averages slightly larger than the Mexican Flycatcher. Its nesting habits are the same and the eggs cannot be distinguished from those of the latter, the nest being most frequently found in giant cacti.

453a. MEXICAN CRESTED FLYCATCHER. _Myiarchus magister nelsoni._

Range.--Mexico, north to southern Texas.

This species is similar to the last but is considerably paler. They are common in some localities, nesting in holes in trees or stumps, often those deserted by Woodp.e.c.k.e.rs. Their eggs are like those of the last but average paler. Data.--Corpus Christi, Texas, May 10, 1899. Nest in hole in telegraph pole; made of red cow hair, feathers and leaves. 4 eggs.

Collector, Frank B. Armstrong.

454. ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER. _Myiarchus cinerascens cinerascens._

Range.--North America, west of the Plains and south of Canada.

Similar to the others of the genus but grayish brown above and with the underparts much paler, the throat and breast being nearly white. Like the others they nest in cavities in trees, either natural or ones made by Woodp.e.c.k.e.rs. Their four to five eggs are lighter in color than those of crinitus but cannot be distinguished from those of the Mexican Crested Flycatcher.

[Ill.u.s.tration 288: 453--454.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Pale buff.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: no caption.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Buff.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: left hand margin.]