Kinglet, Bird of the Winter Forests
The tiny Ruby-crowned Kinglet is one of our favorite winter residents. Being just a little bit larger than a hummingbird, you would think that this bird would be shy, but it's not. These lovely little nymphs are in perpetual motion as they travel through the forests in mixed flocks of Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Downy Woodpeckers and Brown-headed Nuthatches. The males display their ruby crown only when they are agitated. We hope you enjoy learning a little about the second smallest bird in the U.S.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets: the Winter Fairy Bird of Louisiana
Regulus calendula
One of our favorite tiny woodland sprites is the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. This fascinating little bird always seems to be in motion. It darts under leaves and flits into vines to eat poison oak berries, then flies back to search for more insects, again and again. The male has a small ruby red spot on the top of its head which is only seen when the little guy becomes irritated or during mating. Since we only host this bird during the fall and winter, we only see the spot when the bird is upset and it is also making a tiny annoyed tittering sound.
The photo above shows one using one of our "Katrina log" feeders. After Hurricane Katrina there were over 150 large, mature trees down. We cut up and removed most of them by hand because we did not want to destroy the native under story plants that were left. As a result, we have many shelf feeders (upright logs) all over the property. "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."
Description
• A tiny bird, just a little larger than a hummingbird.
• Color is dull, olive-green.
• Bars on the wings
• Ring around the eye.
• Short tail
• Black legs and dull orange-yellow feet
• Always in constant motion and continually flicks its wings.
• Male has red crown which is usually hidden.
• Size: 9-11 cm (4-4 in)
• Wingspan: 16-18 cm (6-7 in)
• Weight: 5-10 g (0.18-0.35 ounces)
• Sexes are similar, but the female is without the red crown.
Sounds and Songs
Listen to the songs and sounds of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
Breeding
Ruby-crowned Kinglets do not breed here in Louisiana, but in the northern United States. An interesting fact about their breeding habits is that despite its tiny size, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet lays a very large clutch of eggs. Although the eggs themselves weigh only 0.65 g (0.02 oz), an entire clutch can weigh as much as the female herself.
Reference: All About Birds
Diet
Kinglets travel through the forests in mixed groups of Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Pine Warblers and Downy Woodpeckers. In the wild they eat small berries (like poison oak) and insects. According to Martin, Zim and Nelson in American Wildlife and Plants, A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits, while they are primarily insectivorous, one-tenth of Ruby-crowned Kinglets fall and winter food comes from plants. Insects eaten include: wasps, bugs, flies, beetles, plant lice and insect eggs.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets will visit shelf style bird feeders. We often see them on our "Katrina log" feeders, picking at small bits of sunflower seeds or insects. They also love our home made suet and visit our suet feeders daily during the winter. Kinglets also enjoy hummingbird feeders and will steal a sip now and then.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Bathing Video
Bookmark
Best Binoculars on Amazon
Every bird watcher needs a good pair of binoculars and if you want to really observe tiny birds like the Kinglet, binoculars are a must.
Male Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Binoculars are a Must for Birders
There are many excellent binoculars on the market. Here are a few that you can find at Amazon.
Nikon 7216 Action 8 X 40mm Binoculars
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Nikon 7218 Action 10 X 50mm Binoculars
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Nikon 7430 Monarch 8 X 42mm All Terrain Binoculars
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Bushnell Falcon 10x50 Wide Angle Binoculars (Black)
An exceptional go-everywhere binocular, the Falcon more...0 points
Olympus Tracker 8x25 Porro Prism Compact & Lightweight Binocular
Add a touch of style to your viewing experience wi more...0 points
Nikon 7245 Action Ex Extreme 10 X 50 mm All Terrain Binoculars
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Canon 10x30 Image Stabilization Binoculars w/Case, Neck Strap & Batteries
10x30 binoculars with image stabilizer0 points
Ruby-crowned Kinglet from Wiki
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) is a very small songbird of the Kinglet family Regulidae native to North America. Both the male and female have olive-grey plumage with a thin black bill and short tail. The male bears a red crown which gives the bird its common name.
Canon SLR Camera
Many birders enjoy photographing birds and other wildlife. We use a Canon PowerShot S5IS, but here is one that's even better.
Good Cameras on Amazon
We used a Canon PowerShot S5IS for most of the photos that you see on this lens. For good photos of birds, you need a camera with at least a 12X optical image stabilized zoom.
Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Whether the action is fast or slow, close up or fa more...0 points
Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)
For stunning photography with point-and-shoot ease more...0 points
Canon PowerShot Pro Series S5 IS 8.0MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
The ultra-powerful 12x optical zoom on the PowerSh more...0 points
Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens (Black)
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi offers an unbeatable c more...0 points
Nikon Coolpix P80 10.1MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom (Black)
10.1-megapixel effective recording * 18X optical z more...0 points
Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens
The lightest, most compact Nikon digital SLR ever, more...0 points
Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
18-55mm AFS DX Nikkor / Fast Start-up / Active Dus more...0 points
Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
The PENTAX K200D, perfect for developing digital S more...0 points
Winter Birds Books and Supplies on Amazon
The cute little Ruby-crowned Kinglets will visit many different types of feeders. There are also some great guide books that will help you identify Kinglets and the other birds of winter. Any of the following would make a great gift for the bird lover on your list.
Heath Outdoor Products 2304 Single Leaf Suet Feeder
this unique leaf roof and floating leaf vine desig more...0 points
Suet Sanctuary Feeder (2 suet cakes) Bird Feeder
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Droll Yankees A6F 16-Inch Pewter 6 Port Sunflower Tubular Feeder
The Original, 16" Polycarbonate Tubular Feede more...0 points
Brome 1024 Squirrel Buster Plus Wild Bird Feeder with Cardinal Perch Ring
Brome 1024 Squirrel Buster Plus Wild Bird Feeder w more...0 points
Heritage Farms 7533 Absolute Squirrel Proof Wild Bird Feeder
Forest green absolute squirrel proof bird feeder w more...0 points
Perky Pet 348 Wild Bird Window Feeder
1 Cup Capacity Window Bird Feeder Holds Any Type O more...0 points
The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible: The A-to-Z Guide To Feeders, Seed Mixes, Projects, And Treats (Rodale Organic Gardening Book) by Sally Roth
Become the best bird host in your neighborhood. Le more...0 points
The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Allen Sibley
David Allen Sibley, America's most gifted contempo more...0 points
Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behaviour (Ornithology) by David Sibley
This work is a follow-up and companion volume to t more...0 points
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America
New enthusiasts are flocking in record numbers to more...0 points
Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America by Kenn Kaufman
In 2000 Houghton Mifflin first published the Kaufm more...0 points
Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region (Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs) by Donald Stokes, Lillian Stokes
Features: Consists of three CDs and a guide bookle more...0 points
Birds of Winter Lenses
These are some of the other birds that visit our habitat in Southeastern Louisiana during Winter.
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The Cardinal's Nest
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Every bird-watcher and most children recognize the male Northern Cardinal, a Christmas symbol, but many people know nothing about its nesting and courtship habits. Through the years, we have been able to observe and photograph most of the mating beha...
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Winged Jewels of Winter
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Did you know that some species of hummingbirds spend the winter in the southern United States? Yes, it's true. In backyards and habitats all over the south species such as Rufous, Allen's, Black-chinned, Broad-tailed, Calliope, Buff-bellied...
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Carolina Wren's Nest
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The little brown Carolina Wren pair with their perky tails and loud voice builds a nest somewhere around our house each year. This year we photographed their nest in the hanging basket on the porch. This lens contains information about Carolina Wren...
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Carolina Wren's Nest
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The little brown Carolina Wren pair with their perky tails and loud voice builds a nest somewhere around our house each year. This year we photographed their nest in the hanging basket on the porch. This lens contains information about Carolina Wren...
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The Wings of Winter
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The winter season is hard on wildlife, but most of all the birds. Some bird species migrate to warmer climates, but many do not. There is quite an assortment of beautiful birds that are permanent residents of, or that visit Louisiana during the wint...
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Pine Warblers of the Forests
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The Pine Warbler is a beautiful yellow and olive green bird that inhabits Pine forests all over the United States. In the south, these birds are permanent residents, but in the north, they migrate south in winter. Because they are the only Warbler th...
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Brown-headed Nuthatch of the Southeastern U. S.
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Brown-headed Nuthatches are indigenous to the Pine forests of the Southeastern United States where they are permanent residents. They are one of nature's acrobats and we never tire of their antics. Their primary food is Pine nuts, so their food suppl...
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Nest Box Trails for Bluebirds and Others
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Lawrence Zeleny's book, the Bluebird How You Can Help Its Fight for Survival, alerted the public about the peril of our native Bluebirds. Now people all over North America are building and maintaining Bluebird Trails. Anyone can start their own trail...
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Carolina Chickadees
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Carolina Chickadees are great little cavity nesting birds and nest in early spring. They are permanent residents in the Eastern United States and coexist well with humans since they love sunflower seeds and suet. Chickadees are very under rated and e...
Kinglet Postcard
Ruby-Crowned Kinglets on Zazzle
See more of our designs at our Naturally Native Zazzle Gallery.
Gifts for the Nature Lover
These lenses contain many beautiful nature and bird related photos, art work and gift ideas for the nature lover on your list.
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Razzle Zazzle Christmas Gifts
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Zazzle is the place to shop for Christmas and we've gathered a selection of designs, books and poems which any nature lover should adore. You'll find shoes, T-shirts, ties, bags, mugs and Christmas cards with matching postage. We've included some be...
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Gifts for the Birder on Your List
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Are you looking for a gift for the birders on your list? You've come to the right place. We are nature lovers and have searched the web to find great gifts that we would like to receive. We have highlighted the best books, binoculars, cameras, appare...
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Natural Christmas Wreaths and Other Crafts
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We love nature's bounty and enjoy gathering the supplies for our family's Christmas wreath. The gathering starts as soon as the interesting seed pods form, usually in the fall. Pine trees abound where we live, so our wreaths have a foundation of pine...
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Great Gifts for the Gardener
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We are avid gardeners and we know that many non-gardeners don't know what kind of gift we would like to receive, so we are publishing a list of our most desired gift items. Most gardeners like similar things so this should help all of you gift givers...
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Naturally Native Gifts Zazzle Gallery
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We love to photograph and draw and paint nature and our Naturally Native Gallery reflects our love of nature and the outdoors. We take pictures each day when we walk our 2 rescued dogs to the beautiful Tchefuncte River and we can share our view of t...
Leave us a note before you pop out.
ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...
What an adorable little bird. I have to admit, I never heard of it. Its not on the South Carolina lists anyway. And yes, I want a bluebird box for Christmas as well but my husband doesn't know a bluebird box from a Martin house. I'm giving him one for Christmas. That way I'll get what I want.
Great lens
Lizzy
Comfortdoc wrote...
Thank you for submitting this to the Spirit of the Season Challenge. Great to see the Zazzle module at work.
spoonfulsofdoodles wrote...
Beautifully done and that new Zazzle module is superb!! :)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blog Posts
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
- This is the best kinglet photo I've been able to get so far. It even has a little bit of the ruby crown showing. Powderhorn Park Minneapolis, MN.
- Nature Discovery: Ruby Crowned Kinglet
- Katie found a dead (unfortunately) Ruby Crowned Kinglet among the leaves in our yard this weekend--such a thrilling discovery! We have never seen one, and so though we were sad it had died, we were excited to have the opportunity to ...
- Iowa Voice » » Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
- Ruby-Crowned Kinglet - Regulus calendula - also known as Roitelet à couronne rubis (French), Roodkroonhaan (Dutch), Rubingoldhähnchen (German), Regolo americano (Italian), Reyezuelo Cornudo Rojo (Spanish). They only show the ruby crown ...
- Ruby-crowned kinglet, Regulus calendula on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
- Tiny bird feeding in the fennel. San Luis Obispo, California. Thank you Sciadopitys for ID.
Links to Ruby-crowned Kinglets
All About Birds: Ruby-crowned Kinglet
One of North America's smallest birds, the Ruby-cr more...0 points
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
The Golden-crowned Kinglet is similar in size to t more...0 points
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Birdweb
Male Ruby-crowned Kinglets have bright red crests more...0 points
eNature.com Nature Guides
Because kinglets weigh little, they are able to fe more...0 points
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Whatbird.com
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: Medium kinglet, olive-green more...0 points
Bird Watcher's Digest: Species Identification: Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Regulus calendula L 4 ¼&quo more...0 points
ruby-crowned kinglet -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Britannica online encyclopedia article on ruby-cro more...0 points
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
thanks makeupanid for helping with the bird ID of more...0 points
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)
Photo of Ruby-crowned Kinglet, range maps, and fac more...0 points
The ruby-crowned kinglet likes lodgepole pine forest
Pictures and description of Ruby-crowned Kinglet, more...0 points
Photo Gallery %u2014 Ruby-crowned Kinglet %u2014 Birds of North America Online
Jul 28, 2008 ... Adult male Ruby-crowned Kinglet, more...0 points
More Links to the Ruby-crowned Kinglet
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P.S. Why not make your own Zazzle Gallery
...if you haven't already
And once you have, don't forget to make a free Squidoo Showcase for it. Just in time for the holidays, a new way to sell more stuff. by naturegirl7

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