Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Sometimes I see a lot of one bird, or learn something new about a bird and want to find out more. Right now, the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet is my favorite bird. I love how cartoon-y it is, with it's big looking eyes and quick, comical movements. And the way it is very round and kind of chubby looking, yet it's one of the smallest birds - even smaller than Warblers! And, not to mention, it just has such a cool name. :)
Fun Facts:
- They often hawk or hover to take food
- Flick their wings nervously when foraging, possibly to startle insects
- Eats mainly insects, insect's eggs and larvae
- Drinks tree sap from drill holes made by Sapsuckers
- They like to hang out in coniferous and mixed conifer-deciduous forests about 15-30' from the ground
- Sometimes they are in mixed foraging flocks with Creepers, Nuthatches, Titmice(not here in the NW), Warblers and Golden-Crowned Kinglets
- You'll see them solitary or in pairs
Ruby-Crowned Kinglets look very similar to Hutton's Vireo (The ruby crown is rarely seen).
Here's what to look for:
- Flight pattern - wing flicks, quick movements, hovering
- Smaller, slimmer bill
- Dark area below lower wing bar
- Secondaries and tertials (wings) lack yellow edging
- Hutton's Vireo is stockier with a larger head with the white eye ring broken above eyes
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