Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Golden-Crowned Kinglet

By: Tom Berg

There is a very tiny bird that migrates through much of the United States at this time of year that goes unnoticed by most people. It is larger than a hummingbird, but not by much. A normal house sparrow is almost twice as big as this bird. It is only 3 to 4 inches long and weighs less than a third of an ounce! So what is it? It is the small but very energetic Golden-Crowned Kinglet.

Golden-crowned kinglets are tiny little songbirds that are actually quite beautiful – if you can get them to sit still long enough to get a good look at them. They are a muted olive color on their backs with a grayish-white chest. They have black and white wing bars and their face is black and white striped. Their most striking feature, though, is the bright yellow (golden) patch of feathers on top of their head. Thus the name golden-crowned.

These little birds are experts in snatching tiny ants, gnats, flies and other super-small insects from their hiding places on the bark of trees, twigs, branches, leaves and the needles of pine trees. They hop from branch to branch as they hunt for insects, and they always seem to be moving. They are just as happy to chase insects at the tops of trees as they are flitting around inside small shrubs just inches off the ground.

Historically, breeding for these birds took place in the boreal conifer forests of Canada. Spruce and fir are among their favorite trees. In recent years, however, they have expanded their breeding range into pine forests in the Midwest. Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan are now part of their nesting territory.

Golden-crowned kinglets may be small, but they are extremely tough. Individuals that breed in Canada migrate south into the USA for winter, but some spend their winters as far north as southern Wisconsin, southern Michigan and even northern Indiana. They have no problem enduring nighttime temperatures during the winter of -30 or -40 degrees Fahrenheit. They are amazing little birds!

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