CHAPTER THREE 



KINGLETS 



^ 



Finley & Bohlman 



FIG. 165. Plumbeous gnatcatcher 

 at its nest in a cactus. This small 

 Western bird is a relative of the 

 kinglet. 



WITH the exception of 

 the hummingbirds, king- 

 lets are our smallest birds. 

 They are olive-greenish 

 above, and whitish be- 

 neath, without streaks or 

 spots. Like some other 

 very small birds they are 

 not likely to be frightened 

 by your presence; when 

 you are watching a kinglet 

 at close range, it is almost 



as likely to move toward you as away from you. Why 

 should very small birds show less fear of man than 

 larger ones? 



Two species of kinglets. There are only two kinds of 

 kinglets in the United States, the golden-crowned and the 

 ruby-crowned. They may be distinguished by the color 

 of the feathers on the head. In the one species the crown 

 is orange, bordered by yellow and black, in the male, 

 and yellow, bordered by black, in the female. The male 

 of the other species has a patch of red, more or less con- 

 cealed when the bird is not excited, on the crown. No 

 crown patch is found on the female of this species. The 

 golden-crowned kinglet has black stripes on the head ; the 

 other species lacks these stripes. The length of a kinglet 

 is about 4-5- inches. 



Other facts about .the kinglet. Kinglets are common 

 for some time in the spring and fall. Does either species 



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