KINGBIRD, OR BEE-MARTIN 



Male and female much alike ; blackish-gray above ; wings 

 and tail almost black; under parts and tip of tail white; a 

 small red or yellow spot on crest. Size, a little smaller than a 

 Robin. Length, eight and one-half inches. 



Nest, on a horizontal limb of a low tree, composed of 

 weeds, sticks, moss and leaves. Eggs, four or five, creamy 

 white, blotched with brown and lilac, 1.00 x .75 inches. 



The Kingbird belongs to the family of Flycatchers of 

 which fact anyone is soon aware if this bird's habits are 

 observed. Perched on a fence or low limb in the garden or 

 orchard, he waits for insects to fly past him. Instantly he 

 darts after them and snaps them up with a sharp click of the 

 bill. Then he returns to the same spot to wait for more prey. 



Among the winged insects, he sometimes catches a honey- 

 bee and this habit has brought on him one of his names. The 

 examination of the stomachs of many Kingbirds made by the 

 Biological Survey of tlie Government shows that only a few 

 bees are really eaten by this species. As a beehive contains 

 such a multitude of workers, the loss of one now and then is 

 of little moment compared with the great benefit done by this 

 bird in the destruction of bugs, moths and grasshoppers. 



The Kingbirds arrive here about the first of May and 

 return to the tropics by the end of September, during which 

 interval they often rear two broods of ydung. They have no 

 song, uttering only a harsh teseep as they watch for prey. 



The most noticeable trait of these birds is their readiness 

 to fight. They are veritable bullies towards smaller birds and 

 quite fearless in attacking larger ones. The Crow and the 



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