PARROTS, KINGFISHERS, AND FLYCATCHERS 



817 



The Texas kingfisher burrows in a per- 

 pendicular sand banli, sometimes in com- 

 pany with banlv swallows, to make a nest 

 chamber two feet or so from the entrance. 

 In this it places five or six clear-white eggs. 

 Many of its nests are destroyed by floods. 



The call is a low clicking note, given with 

 a twitch of the tail and a jerk of the body. 



This kingfisher ranges from southern 

 Texas south into Mexico as far as Yucatan. 

 It is also found in southern Arizona. Sev- 

 eral closely allied forms are spread through 

 tropical America as far as northern Argen- 

 tina. 



Belted Kingfisher 



(Megaceryle akyon) 



While a land bird in the sense that it is 

 not truly aquatic, the kingfisher finds water 

 essential for its life, as from ponds and 

 streams it obtains most of its food. Though 

 more common on fresh water, it ranges also 

 along the ocean and brackish inlets in both 

 summer and winter. 



A high-pitched rattling call and a flash 

 of gray-blue and white announce the pres- 

 ence of this bird, flying ahead as we follow 

 any winding stream in summer. At inter- 

 vals it perches on posts or limbs, usually 

 over the water, when its crest of feathers 

 and heavy bill make its head seem so large 

 as to be almost unwieldy (Plate IV). 



The kingfisher watches intently as small 

 fish swim below it, and then plunges sud- 

 denly, head foremost, into the water, where 

 its heavy bill serves as an efficient instru- 

 ment to seize its slippery prey. Often it 

 hovers in the air, remaining stationary with 

 rapidly beating wings, until fish break be- 

 low; then it darts down to capture them. 



In Haiti and Puerto Rico, and elsewhere 

 in the West Indies, I have seen the king- 

 fisher in its winter home not only feeding 

 on fishes but also watching for small crabs 

 that walked on the mud at the edge of 

 mangrove swamps. 



A kingfisher's home consists of a tun- 

 nel driven into the perpendicular face of an 

 earthen bank. Cut banks above streams 

 and lakes are natural locations, but king- 

 fishers are progressive and use the walls of 

 railroad cuts and other excavations, some- 

 times those distant from water. 



The burrow extends from 4 to IS feet or 

 more, with an enlargement at the end. 

 Here, on a mass of regurgitated fish bones, 

 rest from five to eight pure-white eggs. 



The eastern belted kingfisher {Mega- 



ceryle akyon akyon) breeds from Macken- 

 zie and southern Labrador to the southern 

 border of the United States and west to 

 the Rocky Mountains. In winter it goes 

 into the West Indies and northern South 

 America. The western belted kingfisher 

 (Megaccryk a. caurina), somewhat larger, 

 is found from northern Alaska through the 

 Rocky Mountain region, in winter going 

 into northern ^lexico. 



Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 



(Muscivora forficata) 



A view of this flycatcher against the 

 clear green of a spring landscape entirely 

 justifies the local name, "bird of paradise," 

 by which it is often known. Though small 

 in body, it seems of good size because of 

 the long, forked tail (Color Plate V). 



As a distant silhouette against the sky, 

 the scissor-tail is remarkable mainly for its 

 slender outline. But near at hand its soft, 

 beautiful colors arouse admiration. It is a 

 bird of the open prairies, where bushes and 

 scattered trees afford observation perches 

 from which to watch for its insect food. 

 With the kingbirds it assumes police duties 

 in harrying crows, hawks, and other larger 

 birds. 



In spring the scissor-tail darts across the 

 sky excitedly in a zigzag, aerial dance ac- 

 companied by harsh, chattering notes, a 

 veritable explosion of color and sound com- 

 bined. Its nest is a compact cup of twigs, 

 weeds, and grass, lined with softer mate- 

 rials, placed in small trees, often in mes- 

 quites. It contains from four to six white 

 or creamy eggs, spotted boldly with brown 

 and lavender. 



The scissor-tail nests from southern Ne- 

 braska to Texas and spends the winter from 

 southern Mexico to Panama. Individuals 

 have been found casually, probably storm- 

 driven, at many points outside this range. 



Eastern Kingbird 



( Tyrannus tyranmis) 



The kingbird always arouses admiration 

 for its alert bearing and fearless harrying 

 of birds much larger than itself (Plate V). 



Let a crow pass near its chosen territory 

 and the kingbird circles out at once with 

 incisive cries and quickly beating wings to 

 rise above the black intruder and dart at 

 it savagely. The swooping and diving with 

 which the crow attempts to elude its small 

 tormentor show that these attacks are not 

 play. 



