Kinglets— Gnatcatchers WESTERN BIRDS 



FAMILY— SYLVIIDtE: WARBLERS (Old World), 

 KINGLETS AND GNATCATCHERS. 



This family of birds is divided into three subfamilies: 

 The Sylviinse, which is composed of some five hundred 

 species, all of which, with the exception of one found in 

 Alaska, the Kennicott's Willow Warbler, are inhabitants 

 of the Old World. They are dull-colored birds which 

 have one more feather in the wing than our Warblers 

 have and are in no way closely related. Unlike the New 

 World Warblers, these of the Old World are good singers, 

 hence their name. While our birds, though not musical, 

 have been called warblers because of some superficial 

 resemblance to the foreign species. 



In subfamily Regulinae we have the Kinglets, two 

 species of which are found in the east; with one species 

 and three subspecies in the west. 



Subfamily Polioptilinse contains the Gnatcatchers, of 

 which one species is found in the eastern United States 

 and two species and one subspecies in the west. 



All members of the family are small, dull colored, 

 economically beneficial, and in every way most inter- 

 esting. 



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