Backyard & Woodland Songbirds
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Corthylio calendula
A tiny, hyperactive songbird that constantly flicks its wings as it hunts for insects. The male's red crown patch is usually hidden.
How to identify it
- Tiny, plump and olive-green
- White eye-ring broken at the top and bottom
- Bold white wing bar next to a dark bar
- Male: red crown patch, raised when excited
- Constantly flicks its wings
SizeAbout the size of a Carolina Chickadee
Ruby-crowned Kinglet4 in
Carolina Chickadee4 in
Song Sparrow6 in
American Robin10 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 3.5–4.5 in long; wingspan 6–7 in
- Weight
- 0.2–0.3 oz
- Habitat
- Woodlands, thickets and parks in winter; northern conifer forests in summer
- When to see it
- Winter visitor across the South, including the Carolinas; breeds in the North and West
- Diet
- Tiny insects and spiders; some berries
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Picks tiny insects, spiders and insect eggs from leaves and twigs; eats some berries in winter.
Nesting
A hanging cup of moss and lichens high in a conifer, stretching as the young grow.
- Clutch
- 5–12 eggs
- Incubation
- 12–14 days
- Young
- Fledge at about 16 days
- Broods
- 1 per year
Behavior
Constantly flicks its wings while feeding. Males flash the red crown when excited.
Conservation
Abundant and stable.
Cool facts
- It can lay a clutch weighing as much as the female herself.
- Its song is surprisingly loud for such a tiny bird.
- It weighs about the same as two pennies.
Songs & calls
▶Bird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Ruby-crowned Kinglet
▶Video coming soon
