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Cool Facts |
Photo
taken from:
The
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America by
David Allen Sibley
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- The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a tiny bird that 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.
- The Ruby-crowned Kinglet was described in 1766 by Linnaeus; its
generic name is Latin for 'little king'.
- It differs sufficiently in its voice and plumage from other kinglets
that it is occasionally afforded its own genus, Corthylio.
- They feed lower in the canopy than the Golden-crowned and
characteristically hovers above a twig looking for caterpillars, aphids,
and other insects.
- A group of kinglets has many collective nouns, including a "castle",
"court", "princedom", and "dynasty" of kinglets.
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Description |
Adult Description
- Tiny bird.
- Dull, olive-green.
- Wingbars.
- Eyering.
- Short tail.
- In constant motion, continually flicking its wings.
- Male with red crown (usually hidden)
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Immature Description
Immature similar to adult. |
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Range Map |
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Taxonomic Hierarchy |
© 2003 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
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Kingdom: |
Animalia |
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Phylum: |
Chordata |
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Subphylum: |
Vertebrata |
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Class: |
Aves |
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Order: |
Passeriformes |
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Family: |
Regulidae |
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Genus: |
Regulus |
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Species: |
Regulus calendula |
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Subspecies: |
- Regulus calendula calendula
- Regulus calendula cineraceus
- Regulus calendula grinnelli
- Regulus calendula obscurus
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Sound |
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Song a jumble of notes, starting with two or three high "tsees,"
followed by five or six lower "tur" notes, and ending with
repeated "tee-da-lett" phrases. Call a quick "di-dit."
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Identification and
Information
See
Anatomy
of a Bird
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Body |
- Length
Range: 11 cm (4.25 in)
- Weight:
6 g (0.2 oz)
- Size:
Very Small (3 - 5 in)
- Color
Primary: Tan, Olive
- Underparts:
Pale gray with yellow wash on belly.
- Upperparts:
Olive-green
- Back
Pattern: Solid
- Belly
Pattern: Solid
- Breast
Pattern: Solid
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Head |
- Bill Shape:
All-purpose
- Eye Color:
Dark brown.
- Head
Pattern: Eyering, Unique pattern
- Crown Color:
Red
- Forehead
Color: Olive-green
- Nape Color:
Olive-green
- Throat
Color: White-Gray
- Cere color:
No Data
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Flight |
- Flight
Pattern: Weak fluttering flight with
shallow wing beats.
- Wingspan
Range: 17-19 cm (6.75-7.5 in)
- Wing Shape:
Rounded-Wings
- Tail Shape:
Notched Tail
- Tail
Pattern: Solid
- Upper Tail:
Dark olive-green
- Under Tail:
Dark olive-green
- Leg Color:
Black
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Breeding |
- Breeding Location: Forest
- Breeding Type:
Monogamous, Solitary nester
- Breeding Population:
Widespread
- Egg Color:
Creamy white splotched with brown or gray
- Number of Eggs:
5 - 11
- Incubation Days: 12 - 14
- Egg Incubator:
Female
- Nest Material:
Moss, lichen, down, twigs, and dead leaves,
lined with finer material.
- Migration: Migratory
- Condition at Hatching:
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Other Names |
Similar Species |
- Roitelet à couronne rubis (French)
- Reyezuelo de Rojo, Reyezuelo Monicolorado, Reyezuelo
de Coronilla Colorado, Reyezuelo (Spanish)
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- Golden-crowned Kinglet has a white stripe above the eye, orange
crown patch (male), and paler underparts.
- Hutton's Vireo is larger, stockier, and has a stouter bill.
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Conservation Status |
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Common. May be declining in some areas. |
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Habitat |
Sources used to
Construct this Page: |
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Preferred habitats include coniferous and deciduous forests. |
- Ingold, J. L., and G. E. Wallace. 1994. Ruby-crowned
Kinglet (Regulus calendula). In The
Birds of North America, No. 119 (A. Poole and F. Gill,
eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia,
PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington,
D.C.
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Food |
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Small insects and their eggs. |
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Behavior |
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Gleans food from tips of branches and bark. Hovers and gleans from
foliage. |
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