Golden-Crowned Kinglet

I spotted this bird in my yard perched in a tree while I was refilling the bird feeders. I noticed he didn’t fly away when I was only a few feet away. Seizing on the opportunity for a photo, I grabbed my iphone and took a few videos and photos. At the time I didn’t now what type of bird this was, I mistook it for a sparrow.

Later the day, I went to my local Wild Birds Unlimited to pick up some more bird food. I showed the store owner the videos and photos of the bird that I saw that afternoon, and how it seemed not too concerned I stood very close to while it was in a tree. She recognized it wasn’t a sparrow and requested copies of the photos and videos to help identify this mystery bird. By the time I got home, she sent me a reply it was Golden-Crowned Kinglet, a bird that is not readily seen in our neighborhood. Very Cool !

Golden-crowned Kinglet

The Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) is a small, active bird found across North America, notable for its distinctive golden stripe atop its head. This bird is one of the smallest songbirds on the continent, with a length of 3 to 4 inches (about 8 to 10 centimeters) and a wingspan of 5.5 to 7.1 inches (14 to 18 centimeters). Despite its tiny size, the Golden-crowned Kinglet is known for its resilience and ability to survive in cold temperatures, even during the harsh winter months.

Gallery

The Golden-crowned Kinglet has olive-green plumage with a whitish underside and features a striking black and white striped face with a vibrant yellow and orange crown stripe, which is more pronounced in males than in females. These birds are highly energetic, flitting through trees and shrubs in search of insects and spiders to eat. They are particularly adept at foraging in dense foliage and pine needles, using their slender beaks to extract prey.

Golden-crowned Kinglets breed in coniferous forests across birds, the northeastern and western United States, and into Mexico. Their nests are remarkable for their size and construction; despite the bird’s small size, their nests are relatively large, cup-shaped, and usually suspended from the branches of conifer trees. The female lays a considerable number of eggs for the bird’s size, often up to a dozen.

In winter, these kinglets migrate to lower elevations and more southerly regions, though some remain in their breeding range year-round if conditions permit. During this time, they can be found in a variety of wooded habitats, including deciduous forests and parks. Golden-crowned Kinglets are often observed in mixed-species feeding flocks, alongside chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers.

Despite their small size and the challenges of surviving in cold climates, Golden-crowned Kinglets are relatively common and adaptable, maintaining stable populations across a wide range. Their presence, especially in winter, adds