1 122 Rural School Leaflet 



Another species, the ruby-crowned kinglet, is found in New York State 

 only during its migrations in spring and fall. Both species have the power 

 of raising and lowering the crest feathers so that at times the bright color 

 patch appears much more brilliant than at others. 



The ruby-crowned kinglet has a beautifully executed warble, which 

 is very sweet and surprisingly loud for the size of the bird; but the song 

 of the golden-crowned is rather insignificant, and so high-pitched that 

 some persons cannot hear it. 



Most of the kinglets go farther north than New York State to nest, 

 but a few of the golden-crowned remain on the tops of the higher Adiron- 

 dacks and Catskills. The nest is made of bark, moss, and feathers, 

 and is suspended in the thicker parts of the branches of evergreen trees 

 from six to sixty feet from the ground. The nine or ten eggs are whitish 

 marked with brown. 



BLUE JAY 



Size. — Larger than a robin. 



General color. — Blue above barred with black, gray below, white spots 

 on the tail and the wings. 



Distinctive features. — Large size and blue color will distinguish it 

 from all but the kingfisher. Both the blue jay and the kingfisher have 

 crested heads and a dark band across the breast, but the blue jay has a 

 much longer tail tipped with white, and a shorter and more slender bill. 



Jays are noisy, quarrelsome birds the world over, and blue jays are 

 no exception to the general rule. When a flock of them get together in the 

 fall or the winter, they make the woods ring with their resonant notes, 

 and woe betide the poor owl should he be discovered. The loud jay- jay 

 note of one of the flock announces the discovery, and in a moment every 

 bird in the woods has assembled and has begun to torment the sleepy 

 owl. They are wary birds, however, and should you try to approach 

 and learn the cause of the uproar, they will suddenly become quiet and 

 slink away so that not even one of them may be seen. At other times, 

 however, they show no fear of people, and they may venture close to the 

 house, take food from a window feeding-shelf, or even nest in oak trees 

 or cedars near-by. 



Blue jays are somewhat unevenly distributed in New York State, being 

 rather common in the eastern and western parts but rare in many of 

 the central counties. They seem to prefer evergreen or mixed woods for 

 their abode, but feed largely on acorns, chestnuts, and beechnuts. 



The nest of the blue jay is composed of sticks, leaves, and bark, and 

 is lined with rootlets or other finer materials. It is somewhat larger than 

 the nest of a robin. It is often placed in an evergreen tree, but some- 

 times in small deciduous trees from ten to twenty feet above the ground. 



