262 Birds of Colorado 



Arkansas Kingbird. Tyrannus verticalis. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 447 — Colorado Records — Say 23, vol. ii., p. 60 ; 

 Allen 72, p. 150 ; Aiken 72, p. 205 ; Henshaw 75, p. 342 ; Allen & 

 Brewster 83, p. 195 ; Beckliam 85, p. 143 ; Morrison 86, p. 153 ; 88, 

 p. 107 ; 89, p. 146 ; Kellogg 90, p. 90 ; Lowe 92, p. 101 ; Cooke 97, 

 pp. 19, 87, 163, 209 ; DiUe 03, p. 74 ; Keyser 02, p. 95 ; Henderson 

 03, p. 107 ; 09, p. 232 ; Warren 06, p. 21 ; 08, p. 21 ; 09, p. 15 ; 

 Oilman 07, p. 154 ; Markman 07, p. 156 ; Rockwell 08, p. 165. 



Description. — Head, neck all round, and breast pale grey, becoming 

 whiter on the chin ; a concealed patch of orange-red on the crown ; 

 back washed with greenish ; wings slaty-black, tail black, below with 

 the outer web of the outer tail-feathers very distinctly white ; abdomen 

 and under tail-coverts canary- yellow ; four outer primaries gradually 

 attenuated at tips, outermost (tenth) longer than fifth. Length 

 about 8-5; wing 5-30; tail 3-75 ; tarsus -90 ; culmen -70. 



The female resembles the male, but the tips of the primaries are less 

 attenuated and the crown-patch more restricted. The young are 

 without the crown-patch and the yellow of the vinder-parts is paler. 



Distribution. — Breeding throughout the United States west of about 

 the 100th meridian from southern British Columbia to northern 

 Jlexico, wintering in Guatemala. 



The Arkansas Flycatcher is a common summer resident in eastern 

 Colorado, both in the plains and foothills. It arrives in "El Paso co. 

 about the 6th of May, and eggs may be looked for about a month 

 later ; it leaves again for the south in September. Its range extends 

 up into the mountain parks to about 8,000 feet ; it has been known 

 to breed in Middle Park in the middle of June, and is noted as a rare 

 summer resident in Estes Park by Kellogg. In south-east Colorado 

 it was met with by Warren in May, while in Gimnison co. he foimd it 

 breeding in June, but in La Plata co., in the south-west, Oilman states 

 that it is a straggler, though it is common at Coventry (Warren, 09) 

 and Grand Junction (Rockwell), and was found nesting near Craig 

 and Buford, in Rio Blanco co., by Warren (08) (Plate 9). 



Habits. — The Arkansas Kingbird frequents open 

 country, but is seldom found far from water and the 

 cotton-wood trees which usually line the banks of streams 

 in Colorado. It is a loud and noisy bird, even more 

 so than the Kingbird, and the males are very pugnacious 

 until they have paired off for the breeding season ; they 

 do not seem so bold however in attacking other larger 

 birds, such as hawks. The food consists almost entirely 



