IN THE FIELD 217 



the fields that we must not omit it here; I refer to the 

 Kingbird. 



36. The Kingbird. Tyrannus tyrannus. 



MATERIAL : As mentioned for birds before. Previously observed : 

 How the bird catches its food, its mode of flight, its nest, etc. 



OUTLINE FOR LESSON 



This is the bird so commonly seen perching on wires, 

 posts, bushes, and tall weeds along roadsides. From these 

 perches i't darts out after a passing insect, captures it on 

 the wing, and immediately returns to its perch. 



Description. Both male and female are black above, 

 with an orange-red streak on the top of the head; the 

 color beneath is grayish-white, and the tail terminates in 

 a white band. The kingbird is considerably smaller than 

 the robin, measuring about eight inches from the tip of the 

 bill to the end of the tail. 



The kingbird arrives at St. Paul, Minn., about the first 

 of May ; it builds its nest in tall bushes and about build- 

 ings, out of twigs, coarse grasses, and weeds, and lines it 

 with fine roots, grasses, and horsehairs. It lays its eggs 

 about the first of June. 



Habits. The kingbird lives exclusively on low-flying 

 insects, catching them, as described above, while they are 

 flying from bush to bush. It is a typical flycatcher like 

 the Phoebe, or Pewee. How do swallows and woodpeckers 

 procure their insects ? Compare their habits with those of 

 the flycatcher's. It is a very useful bird, and does not 

 deserve the name of Bee Martin, as it catches only a few 

 drones. 



Name. This bird is a great fighter, attacking and con- 

 quering almost any bird that happens to approach it, and is 



