248 
FLYCATCHERS 
Nest. — Made largely of weed stems, twine, wool, or Spanish moss, lined 
with grass, rootlets, and horsehair, placed in hushes or trees 4 to 40 feet 
from the ground. Eggs: 3 or 4, from 
white to rose pink, spotted or blotched 
with brown or lavender. 
Food. — Principally grasshoppers, 
crickets, butterflies, weevils, wild bees, 
wasps, caterpillars, and gadflies. 
In general habits the eastern king¬ 
bird resembles the western members 
of the Tyrannus family, though more 
commonly a bird of the garden and 
orchard. 
He has been accused of eating 
honey-bees, but in the stomach ex¬ 
aminations made by the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture, of 218 only 
14 contained any trace of honey¬ 
bees, and nearly all these were drones. Ninety per cent, of his food 
consists of insects, mostly injurious kinds. 
446. Tyrannus melancholicus couchii (Baird). Couch King¬ 
bird.' 
Adult male. — Belly brilliant yellow, fading through greenish gray to 
white on throat and under tail coverts; upper parts gray washed with 
green; wings and tail brownish edged with whitish, tail notched; concealed 
orange patch on head. Adult female : similar, but smaller, tail less notched 
and crown patch restricted. Young : like female, but without crown patch, 
yellow duller, and wing coverts bordered with huffy. Length: (male) 9- 
10, wing 4.40-5.00, tail 3.75-4.40. 
Distribution. — From the valley of the lower Rio Grande in Texas south 
to Guatemala. 
Nest. — As described by Sennett, Spanish moss and twigs, lined with 
rootlets; placed near the end of a horizontal limb on a large elm. Eggs: 
3 or 4, creamy pink, blotched with brown and purple over whole surface, 
or in wreath around larger end. 
447. Tyrannus verticalis Say. Arkansas Kingbird. 
Adult male. — Upper parts and breast light ash gray; throat paler; belly 
lemon yellow ; tail black, outer web of outer feather 
abruptly white ; wings brown, end of long quills with 
gradually narrowed points; concealed crown patch 
red. Adult female: similar, but tips of outer quills 
less narrowed and crown patch restricted. Young: 
like adults, but crown patch wanting and colors 
duller, wing coverts bordered with buffy. Length : 
8.00-9.50, wing 4.75-5.25, tail 3,65-4.00, bill from nostril .50-.55. 
Remarks. — Verticalis , though very similar to vociferans, can be distin¬ 
guished in the field by the abruptly white and sharply contrasting outer 
edge of the black tail, and in the hand by the attenuated wing feathers. 
Distribution. — Breeds in Transition and Upper Sonoran zones of west¬ 
ern United States from Nebraska and Kansas to the Pacific; and from 
Fig. 325. 
From Biological Survey, U. S. Dept, of 
Agriculture. 
Fig. 324. Kingbird. 
