Little King:
Ruby-crowned Kinglet One of North America’s smallest songbirds, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is tinier than a Black-capped Chickadee and only a bit larger than a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Unremarkable at first glance, this diminutive bird is a drab olive-green and gray, with a white eye ring and wing bars. But a closer look reveals that this flitty songbird is anything but boring. Its genus, Regulus, means "little king" in Latin. True to its name, when the male kinglet is excited or agitated, he raises his scarlet "crown." Females lack the red crest but otherwise look identical to males. This feisty bird is a bundle of energy, with a particular characteristic that makes it easy to identify, even without binoculars. How can you spot a Ruby-crowned Kinglet at a quick glance? |
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