EASTERN KINGBIRD
SR

The kingbird is noted for its courage and pugnacity in attacking birds much larger than itself. Hawks, owls, crows and even the mighty bald eagle nee before the wrath of this small bird that swoops down in the manner of a fighter plane. Sometimes it actually lands on the larger bird's back to belabor him repeatedly with a sharp bill.

A member of the flycatcher family, the eight inch kingbird has a slate-colored back shading to a lighter gray beneath. The male has a concealed orange crest on its crown but this is lacking in the female. The tail is black except for the tip that looks as if it were dipped in whitewash. This band is conspicuous when the bird is in fiight.

Even though the name bee martin has been bestowed unjustly on this small flycatcher, careless observers have reported that the bird kills large numbers of honeybees. Scientific studies do not bear out the charge. In a case where 665 stomachs were examined by trained personnel, honeybees were found in only twenty-two.

Kingbirds are workers which always perch on dead limbs, tree tops, fence posts and other open spots where they launch forth to catch insects. When the catch is made, a sharp triumphant call is made as the bird returns to its perch.