A tiny bird, with a big voice. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is barely larger than a hummingbird, a mere 3.5 to 4 inches .
These birds winter in the Southern US and Mexico before heading back to Alaska, Canada, and the Upper US.
And you say, where is the Ruby Crown? The males only display it if agitated . . . then they raise all these tiny red feathers on their crown. But if you see a red streak and some yellow, you likely have seen a Golden-Crowned Kinglet, which are rarer in Texas. The Golden-crowned is the next two pictures.
The Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets both winter in Texas, but the Ruby Crowned is much more common, with its constant flickering wings. They are both insect eaters that find their meals on foliage and bark, so you’ll see them in bushes where there are quite a few trees. As you can see in the photo below, the golden streak is much more prominent than the red feathers on the Golden-Crowned.
These birds move so quickly and contantly flick their wings to scare up insects, they are quite a challenge for any photographer . . .but as photographer Margaret Sloan often says, you hear them before you see them. For a small bird, the Ruby-crowned can really belt out a song.
To see other Winter Migrants in our area now, choose the winter migrant category in the right column and scroll down to enjoy other birds you can see in Quail Valley, Missouri City and Fort Bend!
Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.
Learn how to attract birds to your garden, enjoy the Quail Valley Garden's Club visit and tour of Margaret's backyard.
To see a Ruby-crowned displaying his crown, press here.
And visit the Cornell Lab for the Ruby-crowned Kinglets' operetic voice.
Edited by Janice Scanlan
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