Snowfall brings glimpse of tiny kinglets

I awoke Tuesday morning to a significant snowfall.
It hadn't been predicted, so a 5-inch blanket of wet snow was quite a shock. It came before the season's first hard frost.
The snow apparently shocked the birds, too, because my feeders, which had been relatively quiet for a few weeks, now teemed with activity. A mixed flock of juncos and white-throated sparrows joined the usual crowd of chickadees, cardinals, titmice and downy woodpeckers.
It was a sound from high above, however, that really caught my attention. It was high pitched and easy to distinguish from the incessant clucks of foraging chipmunks that dominate the forest floor this time of year. It was the call of a golden-crowned kinglet -- "zee, zee, zee."
Heard first
Kinglets are often heard before they're seen. Their high-pitched voice is distinctive. When I looked up, I spotted two tiny greenish birds searching for food amid the snow-covered leaves. They weighed about six grams -- a bit less than a quarter-ounce.
Golden-crowned and ruby-crowned kinglets are two of the tiniest songbirds in North America. Some pass through as they work their way south; others stay the winter. Kinglets are small, olive-colored birds. Both species are about 4 inches long, they have wing bars, and their bellies are lighter than their bodies. Look to their heads for differences between these two insectivorous songbirds. Black stripes border the fiery orange top of a male golden-crown's head. The female's crown is yellow. Both sexes also wear a broad white eyebrow stripe.
Colorful crown
Ruby-crowns are duller. Females lack the red hat that characterizes males, though the male's red feathers are seldom visible. Only when males get excited or agitated, perhaps by the presence of a hawk or cat, do they erect these feathers and display the colorful ruby crown. The keys to recognizing ruby-crowns are the white eye-ring and the absence of stripes on the head.
Kinglets nest in the coniferous forests of the Rocky Mountains and across the northern United States and Canada, though golden-crowns also nest south along the spine of the Appalachians.
Remarkably, these tiny birds lay clutches of seven to nine eggs. They accommodate such large clutches by arranging the eggs in two layers. Furthermore, the nest is usually so deep that the incubating parent is concealed beneath the rim of the nest. Incubation lasts 12 to 15 days, and two broods are typical. Both species migrate to the southern United States, so during the fall and winter they may show up just about anywhere.
Unfamiliar to many
Because kinglets are so small and visit back yards only occasionally, they're unfamiliar to many people. But if you know what to look for, they're easy to spot. Be alert for active tiny birds often associating in loose flocks with chickadees, titmice, brown creepers and fall warblers.
Kinglets forage at the tips of branches and sometimes hover while gleaning small invertebrates and egg cases from hard-to-reach leaves and twigs. Sometimes they venture to the ground and forage amid the leaf litter. Wherever they are, though, kinglets seem to move constantly and flick their wings as they move from limb to limb. Seldom does a kinglet perch quietly to allow a birder a leisurely look. These very behaviors, coupled with the distinctive head markings, make identifying kinglets manageable.
Because kinglets eat invertebrates almost exclusively, they ignore the seeds we offer in feeders. They may, however, eat suet or peanut butter/suet mixes. Chilly fall mornings and hard frosts send insects to their winter hiding places, so energy-rich suet is welcomed not only by kinglets, but also by chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and woodpeckers.
Offer mealworms
To really treat visiting kinglets and other suet eaters too, offer mealworms. Place a few dozen on a tray near the other feeders, and you'll be amazed at the attention live food attracts. Kinglets and fall warblers compete with woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice and nuthatches for this special treat.
XSend questions and comments to Dr. Scott Shalaway, R.D. 5, Cameron, W.Va. 26033 or via e-mail to sshalaway@aol.com