Mar., 1915 
ADAPTABILITY IN THE CHOICE OF NESTING SITES 
67 
trees, while in the lower valley, where because of the alfalfa ancl other culti- 
vated crops food is as abundant as in the older sections, the Kingbirds, in spite 
of the lack of the usual nesting sites, patrol the alfalfa fields for food, but are 
compelled to use the hay-derricks and telephone poles for nesting purpose**. 
Because telephone poles are as abundant as ever in the older sections, and be- 
cause the poles are practically deserted as soon as the trees become large 
enough to offer suitable sites, one would infer that the use of a pole for nesting 
was only a temporary expedient. 
Almost all my observations were made during the season of 1912, my l ime 
during 1913 being entirely occupied with other work. Perhaps the following 
list with the accompanying remarks will show best the habits of this bird. 
June, 1.911. A pair built a nest at the base of the lowest horizontal limb 
of a five-year-old cottonwood in my door yard. No larger trees were within 
two miles of this. The nest which contained three fresh eggs was blown out 
June 3. 
June, 1911. Nest on arm of electric pole in front of my home. Nest 
blown out June 28, 1911, probably containing eggs at the time. 
June, 1911. Nest in hay-derrick on a neighbor’s ranch destroyed June 28 
during haying; contained young. 
June 23, 1912. This day was devoted to a trip twelve miles up the valley 
to Granger, going on the Outlook road and returning on the hill road, with the 
sole object of locating Kingbird nests. These were easily located because of 
the open country and the noisy restless habits of the adult birds, which stay 
at some high outlook point near the nest and keep up a constant chattering. 
The first part of this trip was along the electric line between my ranch 
and Sunnyside. This is a section which has been under extensive irrigation 
for less than ten years, and as stated previously, contained no trees large 
enough to suit Kingbirds. In the two miles of this line were six Kingbird 
nests, always next the pole, and variously placed on the cross arm, behind a 
converter, or even balanced behind a wire bracket. One of these nests was of 
the Eastern Kingbird ( Tyr annus tyr annus) . Observations at this time and on 
following days indicated that these nests contained at this date either eggs in 
advanced incubation or young birds. One of these nests blew down during a 
wind in the middle of July a few days after the young birds had left. 
The next part of the trip followed the electric line from Sunnyside through 
Outlook to Granger. This low strip was one of the earliest irrigated sections, 
and now contains many windbreaks of lombardy poplars and black locusts. 
No nests were seen on poles until within two miles of Granger, where near Lib- 
erty the ground is higher, more rolling and has fewer wind breaks. Here were 
two poles each with a few straws hanging on its arm, the wreck of a nest 
blown down during a gale of the previous week. The other nests along this 
road were as follows : In the open country east of Outlook the nest shown in 
figure 19 was found on the top of a hay-derrick. The old nest in the same box 
showed that it had been used similarly the previous season. Three pairs of 
birds were seen near Outlook, the nests of which remained undiscovered. Two 
were in poplar windbreaks. An Eastern Kingbird’s nest was found twenty 
feet up in a black locust east of Outlook. This nest, contrary to the habits 
of the Arkansas Kingbird, was well concealed by foliage. Thirteen other nests 
were seen, six in poplars, two in black locusts, three in hay-derricks, each of 
which stood in a large alfalfa field and each of which had been destroyed dur- 
