Kinglets are smaller than warblers; there are two species that occur at Mount Auburn, the Ruby-crowned and the Golden-crowned (photo above by Jeremiah Trimble). The Golden-crowned is the one we can encounter in the late fall through early spring. Both species of kinglets have a habit of constantly flicking their wings as they move about the trees; the Golden-crowned is often seen feeding at the tip of a branch and most often in a conifer. The Golden-crowned is easily identified by the bold face pattern as well as a black and white barring on the wings. Males have an orange central crown, which often is concealed with yellow on both sides and the female’s crown is all yellow, when the male becomes excited the orange and yellow of the crown just becomes an inferno- a sight to see!

Golden-crowned Kinglet, photo by Jeremiah Trimble

You can find Golden-crowned Kinglets most anywhere in Mount Auburn, though the Dell area is consistently the best. The food at this season is chiefly the larvae of insects that can be found in the bark of the trees. The call which can be heard all year is a high and wiry see, see, see, a song which is difficult for some birders to hear that have lost high frequencies. The song is also very high and ends in a series of chattering notes