Part 50

Like the Chickadee, the Tufted Tit is an acrobat. He pounds away at a rolled leaf, or at a beechnut, hanging upside down on a slender twig. He may carry food about with him in his feet, but nesting material is gathered with the bill.

BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus (Linnæus)

Description.—Smaller than English Sparrow. Top of head and throat black; cheeks white; rest of upperparts grayish; underparts grayish white, washed with brownish on sides. Length: 5 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common permanent resident, usually more numerous about towns in winter than in summer.

Nest.—Of fur, plant-down, and feathers, couched in moss and bark strips, placed in a cavity in a tree, usually from 5 to 15 feet from the ground. The birds often dig their own nest-cavity. Eggs: 5 to 9, white, spotted with brown, often chiefly at larger end.

The friendly, jolly Chickadee is one of our most popular birds. He calls his name plainly, and his color-pattern is distinctive. In spring he has a plaintive love-call which sounds like phee-bee. An imitation of this whistle often brings the bird very close.

In winter, Chickadees may visit the lunch-counter daily; but in summer, when the duties of family-rearing are pressing, they may not be seen for weeks at a time. For this reason they are frequently considered as winter birds.

In late summer and autumn the family groups wander about among the trees, searching for caterpillars and insect eggs, and calling sociably to one another.

The Carolina Chickadee (Penthestes carolinensis carolinensis), a slightly smaller species, with almost precisely the same coloration as the Black-capped Chickadee, is to be found locally in the southernmost counties.

GOLDEN CROWNED KINGLET Regulus regulus satrapa Lichtenstein

Description.—Size very small, one of our smallest birds; tail somewhat forked. Male: Center of crown red-orange, bordered with yellow which sometimes conceals the orange, and with black; line above eye whitish; rest of upperparts olive-gray; wings with an indistinct bar; tail and rump with greenish edgings; underparts pale gray, washed with olive and dull yellowish. Length: 4 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant and winter resident from about the first of October to the end of April. It has been known to nest in the higher mountains but it is exceedingly rare as a summer bird.

The Golden-crowned Kinglet is most noticeable as a winter bird when many of our familiar species are to the southward. It is a tiny bit of feathers, and as it perches on its slender legs it seems to be too fragile to endure the snow and cold weather. The call-note is a short lisping tsee, repeated three or four times. In spring it gives a song which starts with several wiry notes resembling one note given by the Chickadee and ending with an abbreviated series of chips. Golden-crowns like to hunt for food in coniferous trees.

RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET Corthylio calendula calendula (Linnæus)

Description.—Size very small, tail somewhat forked. Adult male: Grayish olive above, grayest on head, greenest on rump; crown with brilliant red patch which is sometimes concealed; wings with two indistinct bars; underparts soiled white, washed with faint yellowish and olive. Length: 4½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant, usually common, from mid-April to mid-May, and from mid-September to latter October.

The song of the tiny Ruby-crown is amazingly loud and brilliant, and as the little creature sings, it may lift and fan out its startling crest. It is usually to be found in small trees or thickets, where it flits about, snapping up insects, and it often comes close at hand, when its bright eyes have a staring quality. Occasionally, it flicks its wings. Its alarm-note may be written chŭ-dah, rapidly given.

BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER Polioptila cærulea cærulea (Linnæus)

Description.—Size very small, with long tail and short wings. Male: Upperparts blue-gray, a line across forehead and above eye white, bordered above by narrow black line; central tail-feathers black, the outer ones white; underparts soiled whitish. Female: Similar, the black of the head duller or missing. Length: 4½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather local summer resident in southern counties.

Nest.—A beautifully made structure of fur, plant-fibers, and bark, covered with lichens and dried flower petals, held in place with cobwebs, from 15 to 40 feet from the ground on a horizontal branch. Eggs: 3 to 5, pale blue, rather heavily spotted with brown.

This dainty little creature is restless; his tail wags or shakes almost constantly as he pursues insects. His usual cry is a complaining new, new, whined as he hops about among the foliage. Both birds assist in covering the nest with lichens, which they gather from nearby tree-trunks, and which they bind into the structure with cobwebs so that it is firm and neat. The male may, at times, be rather noisy about the family secrets, and if we patiently watch him as he flits through the branches, he may lead us to the nest.

WOOD THRUSH Hylocichla mustelina (Gmelin)

Description.—Smaller than Robin. Rich brown above, brightest on head and neck, with noticeable whitish eye-ring; below white, marked all over with round black spots; eyes large, very dark brown. Length: 8 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Common migrant and summer resident from about the first of May to October. It is not found in dense hemlock woods in the wilder districts, nor at higher altitudes.

Nest.—A firm, neat cup of grasses, weed-stalks, paper, string, and leaves, lined with finer materials, with an inner wall of mud, placed from 5 to 20 feet from the ground in a tree. Eggs: 3 or 4, pale blue, much like those of the Robin in color, but smaller.

This is the largest, brightest, and most strikingly marked of our thrushes, and he is the only one whose underparts are marked all over with round black spots.

The Wood Thrush lives in shady lawns as well as in wilder woodlands. He is often a familiar dooryard bird, hopping about on the grass or singing from a low perch. The song is delivered in sections, with pauses of a few seconds between. Some of the notes are rich and deep; others are high and flute-like; others tremble like a twanged banjo string. The alarm-note is loud and sharp.