Golden-crowned Kinglet

Picture by Dan Sudia, retrieved March 20, 2004 from

http://museum.nhm.uga.edu/gawildlife/birds/passeriformes/rsatrapa.html

Phylum: Chordata                                                      

    Subphylum:  Vertebrata                      

      Class: Aves

        Order: Passeriformes

          Family: Regulidae

            Genus: Regulus

               Species: satrapa

Other names: Golden-crested Kinglet and Flamercrest (2)

Geographic distribution:     Winter and Summer distribution maps

Winter Distribution Map

Above picture: USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, retrieved March 20, 2004 from

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/htm96/cbc622/ra7480.html

Summer Distribution Map

Above picture: USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, retrieved March 20, 2004 from

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/htm96/map617/ra7480.html

As you can see in the winter months the Gold-crowned Kinglet can be found in most of the United States and parts of Canada, with large population clusters in the south-east and the north west.  However during the summer breading season its distribution is more limited to the north east and the upper most north western United States and Canada.

Native Habitat:  The Golden-crowned Kinglet primary habitat includes coniferous forests.(1)

Diet: The kinglet forages among the tree branches for insects, spiders and occasional fruits and seeds. (2)

Identification:  The Golden-crowned Kinglet is olive-green to above its pale breast, with whitish eyebrows, a black bill, short tail, two whitish wing bars, and a bright orange (solid yellow for females) crown bordered with yellow and black.  It grows to be about 3 1/2 inches in length and has a wing span of 6 1/2 to 7 inches. (2)

Breading season: May-June (peaks in later weeks of May) (1)

Conservation Status:  The Golden-crowned Kinglet is listed as Threatened in North Carolina. (1)

Nesting/Eggs:  Mating pairs of Golden-crowned Kinglets will build a nest made of twigs, moss, lichens, spider webs, and lined with feather, fur, and soft bark. This nest will be anywhere from 5 to 60 feet in the air. Throughout the breeding season as many as 9 eggs will be laid.  The eggs are cream colored with brown speckles.  The incubation period is 14-15 days. Both male and female tend to the eggs and fledglings. (2)

Song: Here is a link to the Golden-crowned Kinglets song

References: 1) The Georgia Museum of Natural History and Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Georgia Wildlife Web: Perching Birds. retrieved March 20, 2004 from http://museum.nhm.uga.edu/gawildlife/birds/passeriformes/rsatrapa.html 

2) Golden-crowned Kinglet. retrieved March 20, 2004 from  http://nuthatch.birdnature.com/gck.html