Golden-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglet - a Small Forest Delight 

Golden-crowned Kinglet [Jim Carroll Photo]

The Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) is a small forest delight.  It is present year round in New Brunswick and can be counted on for its presence in our boreal forest.  There are two species of kinglets found in New Brunswick, the Golden-crowned and the Ruby-crowned.  The Ruby-crowned is a summer resident.  There are six species of kinglets worldwide; 2 in North America, 1 in Eurasia, 1 in Europe and North Africa, 1 in the Canary Islands, and 1 in Taiwan.  

Kinglets are our smallest forest songbirds.  They prefer the upper canopy of the boreal forest where small flocks glean insects from buds and bark.  They can sometimes be seen hovering under a leaf feeding on insects.  

Golden-crowned Kinglet [Mark Morse Photo]

The Golden-crowned Kinglet is a tiny little mite,  just 10 cm (4 in) long.  It is greenish-olive on the back and light gray below.  It has a white supercilium (line over the eye), black eyeline and a yellow crown outlined with black.  This yellow crown has orange in the centre which is difficult to see, usually only when the bird is agitated and it appears to raise it.  One of the species in the United Kingdom and Europe is called the 'Firecrest' for the brilliant orange on the crown of the male.  I have seen the orange on the crown of our kinglet a few times and it is brilliant,  just like fire.  See the photo at top of this post by Jim Carroll showing the orange on the crown.

Golden-crowned Kinglet [Internet Photo]

The Golden-crowned Kinglet is a permanent resident in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia. It is a summer resident for most of the rest of Canada.  The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is similar-looking and would need to be distinguished from the Golden-crowned by its head pattern.  The Ruby-crowned does not have the white supercilium or the yellow crown.  It also has a very long melodious song.  The song of the Golden-crowned is a very high-pitched, tsii tsii tsii.  This song is so high it is difficult for some to hear.  Some people say they have never seen a kinglet and that is because the kinglets are in the upper canopy and their song is so high-pitched.  They are easy to find because they are so prevalent.

Golden-crowned Kinglets nest high in coniferous trees (9-18 metres above the ground).  Their nest is made of lichens and moss and lined with bark chips, rootlets and feathers.  Five to eleven creamy white eggs spotted with brown and gray are incubated for 14-15 days by the female.  Two broods are often raised.

An interesting fact about this species is that each nostril is covered by a single, tiny feather.  This undoubtedly helps with winter survival.  The range of this species is expanding into spruce plantations in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.  That is good news when so many species' ranges are shrinking.  If you have never seen a Golden-crowned Kinglet I hope you go for a walk into the boreal forest and look up and listen for the high-pitched song of this beautiful little bird.