CHAPTER m 



SOME NEIGHBORLY ACROBATS 



Ruby-crowned and Golden-ckowned Kinglets — Chic- 

 kadee — ^Tufted Titmouse — White-breasted Nut- 

 hatch — ^Red-breasted Nuthatch 



The Ruby-crowned Kinglet 



Length — 4.25 to 4.5 inches. About two inches smaller 

 than the English sparrow. 



Mcde — ^Upper parts grayish olive-green, brighter nearer 

 the tail; wings and tail dusky, edged with yellowish 

 ohve. Two whitish wing-bars. Breast and under- 

 neath light yellowish gray. In the adult male a ver- 

 milion spot on crown of his ash-gray head. 



Female — Similar, but without the vermilion crest. 



Range — ^North America. Breeds from northern United 

 States northward. Winters from southern limits of 

 its breeding range to Central America and Mexico. 



Migrations — October. April. Rarely a winter resident 

 at the North. Most common during its migrations. 



Count that a red-letter day on your calendar when first 

 you see either this tiny, dainty sprite, or his next of kin, 

 the golden-crowned kinglet, fluttering, twinkling about 

 the evergreens. In repubhcan America we don't often 



