. Handbook of birds of the western United States, including the great plains, great basin, Pacific slope, and lower Rio Grande Valley . ler. Young :like adult female, but crown patch wanting. Male: length 12-15, , tail 7-10. Distribution. — Breeds in Lower Sonoran zone from southwestern Mis-souri to western Texas ; migrates to Costa Rica; straggling rarely to Mani-toba and Hudson Bay (York Factory). Nest. — Generally 5 to 15 feet from the ground, in open situations,preferably mesquite, but also other trees and thorny bushes; madeusually of fine rootlets and plant stems lined with
. Handbook of birds of the western United States, including the great plains, great basin, Pacific slope, and lower Rio Grande Valley . ler. Young :like adult female, but crown patch wanting. Male: length 12-15, , tail 7-10. Distribution. — Breeds in Lower Sonoran zone from southwestern Mis-souri to western Texas ; migrates to Costa Rica; straggling rarely to Mani-toba and Hudson Bay (York Factory). Nest. — Generally 5 to 15 feet from the ground, in open situations,preferably mesquite, but also other trees and thorny bushes; madeusually of fine rootlets and plant stems lined with plant fibers, wool, andfeathers ; but sometimes of gray moss, cotton, rags, and seaweed. Eggs:usually 5, generally clear white, marked with browns and purples. Food. — Moths, butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, cot-ton-worms, and some berries. In visiting the southwestern prairie country the scissor-tail is oneof the first new birds you notice. Discovering him first perched onthe chaparral you are struck by his long white tail and glisteningblack, white, and salmon plumage. In perching, the tail is closed. SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER FLYCATCHERS 247 thin, and the black of the wings rout rusts well with the bright sal-mon sides. He sits quietly like any every-day bird, giving only anoccasional bee-bird like note, till suddenly up he darts into the air,and with delighted wonder you watch his odd figure and oddergyrations in the sky. One of his favorite performances is to fly up and, with rattlingwings, execute an aerial seesaw, a line of sharp-angled VVVVVVVs,helping himself at the short turns by rapidly opening and shuttinghis long white scissors. As he goes up and down he utters all thewhile a penetrating scream ka-quee-ka-quee-k(i-quee-kckrguee-ka-qnec . the emphasis being given each time at the top of the ascendingline. Frequently when he is passing along with the even flight of asober-minded crow and you are quietly admiring the salmon liningof his win
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbaileyfl, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1902
