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Kingbird
Adult--Upper parts dull grayish slate colour; entire head much darker, with concealed crest of bright orange; tail tipped with white; under parts white. Length--8.51.
Breeding Range--Throughout the Eastern States.
The nest is usually placed in a fruit tree near the end of a branch, at from six to twenty-five feet of the ground. It is a fairly well-made structure of weeds, grass, moss, fine roots, strips of grape-vine bark, leaves, string, and catkins, lined with thin strips of bark and horse hair. The number of eggs varies from 3 to 5, 5 being a common number; they are creamy white, sparsely spotted and blotched with blackish or chestnut brown and light lilac gray; there are great variations both in size, colour, and markings. Average size--.98 x .72. See Fig. 4, Plate D.
These somewhat pugnacious birds may be found in the more open country and orchards; their peculiar flight and white-tipped tail render them easy of identification. In most places they are very common, several nests being often found in a single orchard.
Near New York they nest about the beginning of June or end of May.