248 



FLYCATCHERS 



From Biological Survey, U. S. Dept. of 

 Agriculture. 



Fig. 324. Kingbird. 



Nest. Made largely of weed stems, twine, wool, or Spanish moss, lined 

 with grass, rootlets, and horsehair, placed in bushes or trees 4 to 40 feet 



from the ground. Egys : 3 or 4, from 

 white to rose pink, spotted or blotched 

 with brown or lavender. 



Food. Principally grasshoppers, 

 crickets, butterflies, weevils, wild bees, 

 wasps, caterpillars, and gadflies. 



In general habits the eastern king- 

 bird resembles the western members 

 of the Tyrannus family, though more 

 commonly a bird of the garden and 

 orchard. 



He has been accused of eating 

 honey-bees, but in the stomach ex- 

 aminations made by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, of 218 only 

 14 contained any trace of honey- 

 bees, and nearly all these were drones. Ninety per cent, of his food 

 consists of insects, mostly injurious kinds. 



446. Tyrannus melancholicus couchii (Baird). COUCH KING- 



BIRD. 



Adult male. Belly brilliant yellow, fading through greenish gray to 

 white on throat and under tail coverts ; upper parts gray washed with 

 green ; wings and tail brownish edged with whitish, tail notched ; concealed 

 orange patch on head. Adult female : similar, but smaller, tail less notched 

 and crown patch restricted. Young : like female, but without crown patch, 

 yellow duller, and wing coverts bordered with buffy. Length : (male) 9- 

 10, wing 4.40-5.00, tail 3.75-4.40. 



Distribution. From the valley of the lower Rio Grande in Texas south 

 to Guatemala. 



Nest. As described by Sennett, Spanish moss and twigs, lined with 

 rootlets ; placed near the end of a horizontal limb on a large elm. Eggs : 

 3 or 4, creamy pink, blotched with brown and purple over whole surface, 

 or in wreath around larger end. 



447. Tyrannus verticalis Say. ARKANSAS KINGBIRD. 



Adult male. Upper parts and breast light ash gray ; throat paler ; belly 

 lemon yellow ; tail black, outer web of outer feather 

 abruptly white ; wings brown, end of long quills with 

 gradually narrowed points ; concealed crown patch 

 red. Adult female: similar, but tips of outer quills 

 less narrowed and crown patch restricted. Young : 

 like adults, but crown patch wanting and colors 

 duller, wing coverts bordered with buffy. Length : 



Fig. 325. 



8.00-9.50, wing 4.75-5.25, tail 3.65-4.00, bill from nostril .50-.55. 



Remarks. Verticalis, though very similar to vofciferans, can be distin- 

 guished in the field by the abruptly white and sharply contrasting outer 

 edge of the black tail, and in the hand by the attenuated wing feathers. 



Distribution. Breeds in Transition and Upper Sonoran zones of west- 

 ern United States from Nebraska and Kansas to the Pacific; and from 



