Tag Archives: ruby crowned kinglet north carolina

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

Chasing Kinglets in central NC

By Sally Siko

Here’s another pair of hyperactive feathered ping-pong balls, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets!
I photographed these tiny dynamos earlier this week while birding near my home in central North Carolina.
It was so cool to watch the two species interacting. One thing was clear though, the birds weren’t particularly fond of each other as they’ed often get into spats over food.
Zipping high and low, the Rubys and Golden-crowns yelled and dove, each bird attempting to assert its dominance over the rival.
Eventually the Golden-crowned flock flew up into the longleaf Pine canopy above my head leaving the Ruby’s to continue forging below.



Weighing in at 5-6g, both Ruby and Golden crowned Kinglets are among the family of the smallest passerine birds in the world. Since their tiny size poses high energetic demands on thermoregulation, one would think that a Kinglet should face real challenges of maintaining energy balance during the winter.
In fact, how they maintain those hyperactive energy levels in the colder months, is still a mystery to researchers.
However, it has been found that Kinglets help reduce the extreme energy crunch imposed by fighting the effects of cold temperatures by huddling together at night or by sometimes sleeping in sheltered locations such as insulated squirrel or abandoned bird nests.
In addition, studies have shown that Kinglets possess a uniquely slow metabolic rate (for its size) and only require 10 calories a day to function which likely helps aid in the survival of this lovely species in even the chilliest of habitats.
 Remarkable!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Ruby-crowned Kinglets in Wilmington NC

Here’s another hyperactive feathered ping-pong ball, the Ruby crowned Kinglet!
I photographed this tiny dynamo earlier this week while birding in the rain at Greenfield Lake in Wilmington North Carolina.



While photographing the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher featured in my last post certainly posed a challenge, Ruby crowned Kinglet’s are even harder to get a good photo of.


First off they are tiny.
Measuring a scant 9 to 11 cm in length, these small birds are tough to focus on while they move through the leaves.
And did I mention that they are fast?!
Lol, omg they are ridiculously speedy hunters when they’re on a mission to find a meal.
In fact, the last photograph featured below demonstrates this as you can see that my camera froze the the raindrops in midair but the Kinglet launching down off of his perch is blurry due to his speed.



Weighing in at 5-6g, Ruby-crowned Kinglets are among the family of the smallest passerine birds in the world. Since their tiny size poses high energetic demands on thermoregulation, one would think that a Kinglet should face real challenges of maintaining energy balance during the winter. In fact, how they maintain those hyperactive energy levels in the colder months, is still a mystery to researchers.
However, it has been found that Ruby-crowned Kinglets help reduce the extreme energy crunch imposed by fighting the effects of cold temperatures by huddling together at night or by sometimes sleeping in sheltered locations such as insulated squirrel or abandoned bird nests.
In addition, studies have shown that Kinglets possess a uniquely slow metabolic rate (for its size) and only require 10 calories a day to function which likely helps aid in the survival of this lovely species in even the chilliest of habitats.
Remarkable!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast, the mighty mirrorless @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Ruby crowned Kinglet at the Pungo Unit in the Pocosin Lakes NWR

Check out this sweet Ruby crowned Kinglet!
She was my trail companion on a recent birding trip to the Pungo Unit in eastern NC.
It was really neat to get a look at her up close as she followed me closely, fluttering from the bushes that lined the path.



These tiny birds have personalities that are similar to Chickadees in that they are both energetic and curious about people.
Although if experienced this type of behavior before with Kinglets, I’ve never had one follow me for more than a minute or two.
This one was different.
Over a period of 10 minutes, whenever I’d stop to try and photograph another bird in the distance, she would “stop” too (at least by Kinglet standards which means that she was sticking close by the entire time all while flying up and down the branches of wherever the nearest shrub was located along the way).

This flurry of activity comes at no surprise as these tiny birds are constantly on the move. A fellow bird loving friend Mike Kopack @mpkopack once described them as feathered ping-pong balls which I believe fits them nicely lol!
Happily, this Kinglet paused just long enough for me to grab a quick portrait which was pretty cool.



The Ruby crowned Kinglet requires a relatively large amount of food (for its size) to fuel their energy needs.
In fact, they need to consume around 10 calories a day to keep moving. While this may not sound like very much, this may be a more difficult requirement to meet during the wintertime for a bird that mainly eats small insects, spiders and insect eggs.
So, when the opportunities for six & eight legged meals become scarce, Ruby crowned Kinglets will also forage for berries and seeds in the winter. They may even be spotted dining at your suet feeders during the coldest months.
They will stick around the Tarheel State until late April along our coastal counties and until early May throughout the rest of North Carolina before migrating to their breeding grounds in the Rockies, Alaska and Canada.
Enjoy them while you can!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Ruby crowned Kinglet encounter at Bass Lake Park

Now here’s a bird I’m always happy to see with the arrival of cooler weather, a Ruby crowned Kinglet!
These tiny feathered dynamos are a bundle of energy and are usually kind of tough to photograph since they rarely sit still for longer than a second or two.


I spotted this one at Suggs Farm while birding couple of months ago. It was neat to watch her gleaning the undergrowth for a six legged meal. Hovering just about a foot or two off of the ground, she eyed her prey before diving down to catch it.
Check out the last few photos of this post to see her in action!



The Ruby crowned Kinglet has good reason to live a life constantly on the go. Though they require just 10 calories a day to remain healthy, their hyper active metabolic rate burns through those calories at lightning speed forcing these birds to spend all of their waking hours foraging to replace the burned calories. In fact, a Kinglet can lose one-third of its body weight if it doesn’t find something to eat every 20 minutes.
Crazy!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Birding at Yates Mill Park: Ruby crowned Kinglet

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

My favorite photos from my visit to Yates Mill Park in Raleigh N.C. this morning are of this charming little Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
He was quite inquisitive about my presence in the woods and stopped moving just long enough for me to catch these few shots.

Kinglets aren’t quite as small as hummingbirds, but they’re smaller than most other birds you’ll find here in North Carolina.
Don’t let their diminutive size fool you!
This is a little bird with a great big appetite.
These energetic little ones have super high metabolisms which require them to eat every 15 minutes or they risk losing needed fat reserves in a hurry.


A wintertime resident in the Triangle, Ruby-crowned Kinglets will stick around until early spring. Then, they’ll depart for their breeding grounds in the northern United States and Canada.

Such a cool little bird to see on a rainy winter morning here on the N.C . Birding Trail 🙂 Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5DS

Come birding with me! I’ve got a few tours scheduled for Yates Mill Park in 2020. Check out the link below for trip details and available dates.

https://birdwatchingnc.com/birdwatching-n-c-trips-birding-in-north-carolina/birding-at-yates-mill-park-trips/
Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

‘Tis the season for Ruby Crowned Kinglets in central N.C.

Check out this beautiful little Ruby-crowned Kinglet that I photographed at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs N.C. a couple of days ago.
She was very curious about my presence on the trail and stopped moving just long enough for me to grab a couple of photos while she snacked on some berries.


The tiny sized Ruby-crowned Kinglet is one of the smallest birds in North America. They are filled with energy bouncing from limb to limb like golf balls on a side walk.
Always on the move, their quick movements can make it hard to spot their ruby red crowns, which are normally flattened down, but when these birds catch sight of a competitor or predator, up goes their bright red mohawk.
Fierce little fighters, Kinglets will defend challengers three times their size, particularly when it comes to retaining a good food source.


Kinglets actually have a good reason to be constantly on the move: they’ve got a hyperactive metabolisms which requires them to eat almost constantly.
In fact, if these little birds are deprived of food, they could lose nearly a third of its body weight in just 15 minutes!
Eat like a bird, indeed!


Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

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The Ruby-crowned Kinglets have arrived in North Carolina

I’ve been seeing a ton of Ruby-crowned Kinglets over the last few weeks here in central North Carolina.
These delightful tiny birds forage for insects on twigs and branches in taller trees. While searching for food, they flick their wings continuously.
On the rare occasion to see one sitting still, Kinglets can be found roosting alone on tree branches close to the trunk.


Don’t let their diminutive size fool you!
These birds are not about to give up an inch of good feeding ground
and are known to become quite aggressive when facing a rival.
During aggressive displays, they will lean forward, showing off the white bars on their tail. They’ll flash their wings and turn from side to side while singing and moving their head from side to side slowly.
This Kinglet was acting aggressively towards a group Carolina chickadees and Tufted Titmice when I took this shot.
Such a fierce personality for such a small bird.
Love it!

Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5Ds