Sisters Country birds

Ruby-crowned Kinglets (Regulus calendula) were first described in 1766 by Linnaeus, and its generic name is latin for little king. They are very common now, flitting and hanging in the air gleaning small insects from trees and bushes.

Photo by Douglas Beall

Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

They live in mixed woods, isolated trees in meadows, coniferous and deciduous forests, mountain-shrub habitat, and floodplain forests of oak, pine, spruce, or aspen. These tiny birds nest high in trees, and so prefer older, taller, and denser stands to younger ones. During migration and winter they are common in woods and thickets across most of the continent. Ruby-crowned Kinglets prey on spiders, aphids, wasps, ants, and bark beetles. Kinglets usually forage in high tree foliage, hovering and pecking in order to glean insects from the surface of leaves and branches. These birds also eat a small amount of seeds and fruit, from poison-oak berries to the pulp of dogwood berries.

Ruby-crowned Kinglets make their nests in trees, occasionally as high up as 100 feet. Females choose a nest site near the tree trunk or suspended from small twigs and branchlets. Because of the nest site's height and often remote location, not much is known about Kinglet nesting habits. Their nest sites, chosen by the females, are protected and often hidden by overhanging foliage. 5-12 eggs white with red spots, are laid and hatch in 12-14 days.

A group of Kinglets are called a "princedom," a "castle," a "court," or a "dynasty" of Kinglets. To view more Kinglet images, visit http://abirdsingsbecauseithasasong.com/recent-journeys/.