LAND BIRDS. 701 
and the nest built mainly of fur of various quadrupeds, particularly rabbits 
: as : : aus 
and mice. The eggs are six to eight, similar to those of the common 
Chickadee and average .58 by .50 inches. 
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 
Adult: Very similar in size and color to the Common Chickadee but with the upper 
surface of the head, from bill to nape, dark brown, or brownish gray instead of black; 
the feathers of wings and tail slightly, if at all, edged with white; sides of the belly also 
more distinctly brown or rufous. 
Length 5 to 5.75 inches; wing 2.35 to 2.70; tail 2.30 to 2.80. 
Family 72. SYLVIID.L. Ninglets and Gnatcatchers. 
The three species of this family which are found in Michigan are, next 
to the hummingbird, our smallest and daintiest examples of feathered life. 
The two species of kinglet and the single gnatcatcher may be separated 
as follows: 
A. Middle tail-feathers black, lateral tail-feathers largely pure white. 
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. No. 318. 
AA. Tail without any clear black or white. B, BB. 
B. Crown with bright yellow, or orange, or both. ©, CC. 
C. Crown with a central patch of yellow or yellow and orange, 
with a clear black border on each side. Golden-crowned 
Kinglet (adult). No. 316. 
CC. Crown with a central patch of scarlet, but with no black. 
Ruby-crowned Iinglet (adult male). No. 317. 
BB. Crown without any bright patch. D, DD. 
D. Each nostril overhung by a single small bristly feather. Golden- 
crowned Kinglet (young). No. 316. 
DD. Each nostril overhung by a tuft of small, bristly feathers. 
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (adult female and young). No. 317. 
316. Golden-crowned Kinglet. Regulus satrapa satrapa Licht. (748) 
Synonyms: Golden-erested IKinglet, Golden-crowned Wren, Flame-crest.—Regulus 
cristatus, Vieill., 1807, Nutt., 1832, Aud., 1834.—Sylvia regulus, Wils., 1808.—Regulus 
satrapa, Licht., 1823, and most subsequent authors. 
Figure 150. 
One of our tiniest birds, only about four inches in length, and the adult 
known at once by the general olive-green upper parts and whitish under 
parts, the crown mainly yellow, in the center of which, in the male, is 
a stripe or patch of flame-color (orange red). The female lacks this orange, 
the crown being clear yellow, and in both sexes the yellow is bordered by 
black lines. Young birds lack the bright crown, but may be identified 
by the small size and the other points already noted. 
Distribution.—North America generally, breeding in the northern and 
elevated parts of the United States and northward, migrating south in 
winter to Guatemala. 
