504 Birds of Colorado 



Description. — Adult — Ashy-grey throughout, duskier on the wing-J 

 and tail ; a good deal paler on the under-parts ; head strongly crested : 

 iris brown, bill dusky-brown, legs dusky. Length 5-0; wing 2-75; 

 tail 2 -25 ; culmen 40 ; tarsus -72. 



The sexes are alike ; the young birds closely resemble the adults, 

 but the crest is not quite so long, and the upper-parts are a shade more 

 olivaceous. 



Distribution. — The drier south-western districts of the United States, 

 from Colorado and Nevada to western Texas and south-east California. 

 In Colorado the Grey Titmouse is a rather uncommon resident through- 

 out the year, more or less confined to the upper Sonoran zone of pinons 

 and cedars, between 5,000 and 8,000 feet. On the east of the range 

 it has been observ-ed in Fremont and El Paso cos. by Aiken, and is 

 represented in his collection by examples taken in April and October. 

 West of the range there are many more records, viz., Douglas Spring, 

 Routt CO., June (Warren), Grand Junction, November (Rockwell), 

 Coventry, April (Warren), San Juan co., September (Drew), Fort Lewis 

 (Morrison). It doubtless breeds, but no details have yet been given. 



Habits. — ^Henshaw tells us that the Grey Titmouse 

 is generally found in the groves of pinon and scrub cedars 

 in the northern part of its range, but in the south, in 

 Arizona, it often frequents oak scrub ; it is never found 

 in pine-woods. It spends much of its time on the ground 

 looking for insects, and has a harsh, scolding note, with, 

 in summer, a short, disconnected, though somewhat 

 pleasing song. It is gregarious in winter, but after 

 January, according to Aiken, is found singly. Its nesting 

 habits, so far as I am aware, have never been described, 

 but it almost certainly builds, in holes in trees or stumps, 

 a nest of felted material and feathers, and lays six to 

 eight M^iite eggs like its Pacific coast congener, the 

 Plain Titmouse [B. inornatus). 



Genus PENTHESTES. 



Head not crested ; bill more slender and less stout ; wings and tail 

 approximately equal ; crown and throat always black. 



About twelve species from the northern parts of the Old and New- 

 Worlds. 



