The Children's Book of Birds

by Olive Thorne Miller

Food: insects.

Very small, active, musical birds, usually found flitting about in trees.

Gnatcatchers: Very small and slim; bill slender and short, nearly as long as head, notched at tip; bristles at corner of mouth; wings shorter than tail and rounded; tail long and moderately graduated, feathers rounded; legs rather long; toes small. (Ridgway.)

Active, beautiful nest builders, found in the tops of trees. Insectivorous.

3. Paridæ: Nuthatches, Titmice, etc.

This family is divided into three subfamilies.

Nuthatches: Smaller than English sparrow; bill sharp, pointed, higher than wide, about as long as head; bristles over nostrils; wings pointed; tail very short, nearly even, feathers soft; legs stout. (Ridgway.)

Parents nearly alike; food, insects.

Found on the trunks and large limbs of trees.