BREEDING BIRD: CASSIN’S KINGBIRD (Tyrannus vociferans)

Description: Upperparts washed in dark gray with olive on back; paler wings contrast with darker back; dark brown tail with narrow buffy tips; white chin contrasts with dark gray head and breast; belly is dull yellow.

Habitat: Prefers ranch groves, scrub and dry savanna.

Diet: Berries and insects; eats much more fruit than other kingbirds.

Displays: Male performs frenetic zig-zag flight.

Nest: Usually thick lining of rootlets, grass and plant down built on a horizontal branch near the trunk of large oak or sycamore tree.

Eggs: Creamy white with lavender or browns; less than an inch long.

Breeding bird atlas: To report bird breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding bird atlas, call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160.

Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis.

Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).