GRAY KINGBIRD 41 



nized at considerable distances, and the dashing manner of the feed- 

 ing habits is quite spectacular. Forays after insects are carried out 

 with much verve and considerable speed. 



As mentioned previously, they are essentially a littoral species, 

 and in the Keys one is never far from water. Thus, one is impressed 

 by the kingbird population in that locality, and even some of the 

 smallest of the keys in the Bay of Florida have their quota of 

 the birds. 



In the habit of tolerating no intrusion upon its domain or territory, 

 this kingbird is like others of the family. It does not hesitate to 

 attack any other bird and sometimes mammals. In the Keys, the 

 two species more often assailed seem to be the turkey vulture and 

 the insular red-shouldered hawk. I have frequently seen both these 

 birds of prey dodging and twisting about in the air with a tiny, 

 dancing speck above, and upon them, which resolves itself into a 

 gray kingbird. Herons are sometimes attacked, even the majestic 

 great white, and the contrast exhibited under such conditions is 

 hardly more spectacular than ludicrous. 



John K. Williams (1935) gives an instance of the eastern king- 

 bird {T. tyr annus) attacking an airplane, I do considerable flying 

 in the Florida Keys and have often wondered whether dominicensis 

 would make such an attack, but as yet no case has been noted. As 

 Mr. Williams points out, "A case of this sort could scarcely have oc- 

 curred except where a slow, low-flying plane was involved." While 

 the planes used by me are not particularly slow, they are certainly 

 often low-flying, as one of the primary objects of these flights is to 

 check numbers and nests of the great white heron, and often altitudes 

 of under 100 feet, and sometimes much less than that, are flown. 

 It would not surprise me should such an encounter take place, and 

 indeed, it may well have already occurred and escaped notice. 



I have never observed the gray kingbird eating berries so can- 

 not describe it, though it is unlikely that there is anything unusual 

 about the habit. I do recall seeing one of these birds near Cuthbert 

 Lake one day (Cape Sable area), hovering in a rather peculiar man- 

 ner about the outer branches of a large gumbo-limbo tree and moving 

 rather jerkily about. At the time I thought it was catching insects, 

 but it might have been picking berries. Probably this action is 

 usually indulged in, however, while the bird is perched, and not on 

 the wing. 



Insect prey is often taken close to the surface of water and also 

 actually from it. In open situations the bird will make long swoops 

 from a mangrove, snap up the prey a foot or so above the water, 

 describe a curve, and swing back to the perch. Or, if necessary, it 

 will hover momentarily, pick up the insect from the surface, and 



