ruby-crowned kinglet

ruby-crowned kinglet (Corthylio calendula)
Photo © Alan Murphy Photography

FEATURES
The ruby-crowned kinglet averages about four and one-fourth inches long (tail tip to bill tip in preserved specimen). It has gray-green feathers on its back and tail. There are two, white wing bars per wing, and the bottom one is edged by a black bar. A white ring is present around most of the eye. The male has a red-feathered patch on the top of the head that is not always visible.

BEHAVIORS
Ruby-crowned kinglets nest from Alaska through north-central Wisconsin. They begin arriving in Illinois in late March. Fall migrants begin returning to the state in September. The species overwinters as far south as Central America. Insects and their larvae make up the diet.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Regulidae