Tiny and Flighty
Very active and tiny birds that flit from branch to branch and tree to tree and never seem to settle down can be tough to see and identify. We have three birds that fall into the “tiny and flighty” mode. These are the two members of the Kinglet group: the Golden-crowned Kinglet and the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. The third bird is the is member of the Gnatcatchers: the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. All three birds are insectivores prowling the branches and leaves in search of their prey. They also have the ability to fly off and snap a bug out of the air as is implied by the name “gnatcatcher.”
Both Kinglets migrate into our area in the fall and stay through the winter. The Golden-crowned Kinglet breeds in conifer forests and in the winter will be found in more deciduous woods but tends to seek out the conifers. In our woods you see them high up in the tops of conifers flitting about and often hovering about a branch. Both the male and female have a brilliant yellow patch at on the crown of their head bordered by black. The male also has some orange on the crown but it is not always easy to see unless it raises its crown feathers.
The Ruby-crowned, while present in our woods, is less abundant. It is plainer than the Golden-crowned and if the male raises its crown feathers the red crest can be seen. Unlike the Golden-crowned its head is not striped with black and white markings but it does have a fairly distinct white eye-ring that is absent in the Golden-crowned.
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher migrates into our area in the spring and stays into the fall. Like the Kinglets it is constantly on the move. Its coloration is blue-gray above with a white chest and belly. It also has a distinct white eye-ring. Another good field mark is its long dark tail whose outer feather edges are white.
Photos: male Golden-crowned Kinglet (woodland trails); female Golden-crowned Kinglet (woodland trails); Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Boundary Creek Park); Blue-gray Gnatcacher (woodland trails) and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (woodland trails).
Photos and text by Robert Koch