BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
. r j#6 
General Habits.— Like the Wrens and the Verdin, the Kinglet 
builds dummy nests, convenient shelters for the hardy northerners in 
cold weather. 
Its usual call note is a fine li-ti, and its song, as given by Mr. 
Brewster, “ti, ti , ter, tzee, tzee, tzee, tzee, ti-ti-ti-ti” , 
Additional Literature.—Bowles, J. H., Condor, VI, 163-165, 1904.— Shel¬ 
don, H. H., Condor, X, 123-124, 190S.— Wright, M. O., Educational Leaflet 34, 
Nat. Assoc. Audubon Soc. 
ASHY RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET: Corthylio calendula cinerascens (Grinnell) 
Plate 63 
Description. —(Type): Length 4.6 inches, wing 2.4, tail 1.9, bill .3, tarsus .7 
Adult male: Crown patch bright red , usually more or less concealed; rest of upperparts 
axhy olive , slightly greenish on rump; wings and tail dusky, w ith whitish edgings, wings 
with two light bars, and a partial bar of black; orbital ring white; underparts ashy 
white faintly tinged with olive-buff. Adult female: Similar to male but without the 
red crow'n patch. 
Range. —Breeds in Boreal Zones in w estern United States south in mountains to 
central New' Mexico, southern Arizona, and southern California; winters from 
western United States south to northern Mexico. 
State Records. —The Rubv-crowned Kinglet is much more common as a 
breeder in New r Mexico than the Golden-crowned. (Rather abundant throughout 
the Sangre de Cristo Range from 8,000 feet to timberline (Ligon, 1919).! It w f as one 
of the commonest birds at 11,000-11,600 feet below Pecos Baldy from July 21, 1903, 
when young w r ere in the nest, to August 17, when they were fully fledged. The 
next year it was common, July 26, on Wheeler Peak, at 11,400 feet, while it was still 
feeding young on August 17, 1904, at 11,000 feet on Lost Trail Creek in the Culebra 
Mountains west of Costilla Pass (Bailey). A single bird was taken on June 13,1909, 
at 9,000 feet on Bear Ridge in the Zuni Mountains (Goldman). It w T ill undoubtedly 
be found breeding in the higher parts of the Jemei, Gallinas, and San Juan Moun¬ 
tains, whenever these districts are visited during the early summer, jin the Black 
Range, 28 miles southw est of Chloride, at 8,000 feet, on June 28,1920, two pairs w’ere 
feeding young out of the nest (Ligon).] 
The fall migration had apparently already begun on August 16, 1904, for it 
was found presumably below the lower limit of its breeding range and was noted at 
8,400 feet ip the Red River Valley of the Culebra Mountains (Gaut). On Sep¬ 
tember 11,1909, it w'as taken near Monica Spring in the San Mateo Mountains, and 
by September 19, 1908, it had reached the Burro Mountains, 6,500 feet (Goldman). 
During October it is quite generally distributed throughout the mountains of New 
Mexico and descends to Fruitland, 5,000 feet (Birdseye); Cliff, 5,000 feet (Bailey); 
Las Palomas, 4,200 feet (Goldman); and Mesilla Park, 3,800 feet (Ford). 
It winters in New Mexico at Silver City (Hunn); Mesilla Park (Ford); Tularosa 
and Salinas Peak (Gaut); and at Las Vegas remained at least as late as December 18, 
1882 (Batchelder). 
In the spring migration, it was taken at Rinconada April 17, 1904 (Surber); and 
was noted at Carlisle as late as May 17, 1890 (Barrell). In the Guadalupe Mountains 
it was fairly common up to 5,000 feet in January, 1915 [common in December, 1916; 
also on the Rio Grande Bird Reserve, common November 23-December 9, 1916 
Willett)!.—W. W. Cooke. 
