Species

Ruby-crowned kinglet

Corthylio calendula

A tiny, restless olive bird that flicks its wings constantly and hides a red crown it shows when excited.

Photo Jonathan Eisen (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 9 to 11 cm long
Weight: About 5 to 10 g
Habitat: Woods, thickets and shrubby yards in winter
Diet: Tiny insects, spiders and some berries
In Georgia: A common winter visitor, October to April
Voice: A scolding "ji-dit"; a loud, bubbling song in spring
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Tiny; olive-grey; white eye-ring broken at top and bottom; one bold white wing bar; males with a red crown patch usually hidden
Told apart from: Golden-crowned kinglet, which has a striped face and yellow crown
Told apart from: Warblers, which do not flick their wings so constantly
Where to look: Shrubs and low trees in winter

Behaviour

Ruby-crowned kinglets move constantly, flicking their wings as they hunt for insects. Males raise their red crowns when excited.

Why they matter

These tiny birds lay clutches of up to 12 eggs, which together can weigh as much as the female. They eat many small insects on twigs through the winter.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A deep cup of moss hanging in a conifer
Eggs — Up to 12
Incubation — About 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 16 days
Lifespan — A few years

Living around people

Window strikes kill many kinglets on migration.
Shrubs and native plants with insects support them in winter.

Misconceptions

Tiny birds cannot survive cold nights. Kinglets survive freezing nights by fluffing their feathers and huddling.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering	Wintering	Wintering; singing	Migrating north	Nesting in the north	Nesting	Young fledging	Present in the north	Migrating	Arriving	Wintering	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 90 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

United States

Canada

If you found one

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