Wing-flicking: Ruby-crowned Kinglet

The constant wing-flickinging of Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a characteristic behavior. Photographed at Hagg Lake, Washington Co., Oregon on 17 December, 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

"Tiny active birds of tree branches,... with a characteristic habit of nervously flicking the wings."
-- The Birds of Canada, 1979 by Earl Godfrey.

In our previous identification post about the separation of Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Hutton's Vireo we concentrated on the color and shape of feathers, bill, legs, and feet.

Birds also have many interesting behaviors that help separate them. These are rarely mentioned in the field guides--unless conspicuously obvious. Thus field guides typically mention the bobbing and teetering of Spotted Sandpipers, the hovering of Rough-legged Hawks, and the plunge-diving of Belted Kingfishers.

The nervous wing-flicking of Ruby-crowned Kinglet also is mentioned in most field guides.

This innate (instinctive) behavior is like a constant tic. Every couple of seconds the kinglet flicks its wings, as in the photo above. When agitated, it may flick its wings twice in a second. Combined with its constant movement--rarely does a kinglet sit on a branch more then 4-5 seconds--this tiny bird gives the impression of being in a constant state of nervous hyperactivity.

This isn't to say that the look-a-like Hutton's Vireos never flicks their wings, because they do--many small birds do--just not anywhere near the same degree as the kinglets.

ID: Little green bird: Kinglet or Vireo?

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hagg Lake, Washington Co., Oregon on 17 December, 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

Last week I was up at Hagg Lake scouting for the Forest Grove Christmas Bird Count to be held the next day. A mixed feeding flock was here and I began photographing some of the more than one-dozen species present in this loose flock of chickadees, nuthatches, wrens, kinglets, and other birds.

As I was photographing the fidgety Ruby-crowned Kinglet above, I changed over to a Hermit Thrush that had popped into the open briefly. Then I came back. But the little green bird was slower and more deliberate. It had changed! A Hutton's Vireo was now in my viewfinder (below).

 

Hutton's Vireo, Hagg Lake, Washington Co., Oregon on 17 December 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

Besides the differences from hyperactive kinglet to lethargic vireo, can you see the differences in the two birds? This is an intermediate identification challenge--not easy, but not very difficult--if you know where to look.

Both birds are greenish with broken eyerings and two white wingbars. And they are tiny--4 and 1/4 to 5 inches long from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail.

Compare the two photos above as you look for the following field marks...

1. On the Ruby-crowned Kinglet note the eyering is broken above and below. The Hutton's Vireo has the eyering missing only above the eye.
   
2. Notice that there is a blackish band on the base of the secondary feathers of the kinglet, below the lower wingbar. These feathers are edged green on the vireo.
   
3. The kinglet has a thin bill. The bill of the vireo is thicker and hooked at the tip.
   

These are all legitimate field marks. But there is a more obvious field mark to separate these similar-plumaged birds.

Compare the following two photographs...

 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, Hillsboro, Oregon on 15 November 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

Note the toothpick-thin black legs and yellow feet on the Ruby-crowned Kinglet above.

Compare that with the thick blue-gray legs and feet of the Hutton's Vireo below.

If you need to, go back and compare the legs and feet of the upper set of photos again.

Sometimes the yellow feet of the kinglet is more restricted to the pads on the bottom of the feet. Both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets show this feature.

 

Hutton's Vireo, near Timber, Oregon on 22 November 2007 by Greg Gillson.

 

Finally, below is another photo of Ruby-crowned Kinglet--this time a male displaying his red crown feathers. But note the legs and feet, the black bar across the secondaries below the white wingbar, the bill, the eyering.

Now you are ready for this identification challenge!

 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hagg Lake, Oregon on 29 December 2006 by Greg Gillson.

 

In the backyard... Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, Hillsboro, Oregon on 25 November 2006 by Greg Gillson.

 

This tiny little bird has quite an amazing song! It is a sweet, high-pitched chanting whistle: tee-tee-tee-tee, teer-teer-teer, teeter-teeter-teeter-teet! It sings this song in the lowlands during migration starting as early as February. However, the bird itself breeds high in the mountains in June and July. In fact, the breeding habitat seems to be Douglas-fir, Larch, Grand Fir, Engelmann Spruce forests of at least 5000 feet elevation.

So why "In the backyard..."? Because from September to May these drab greenish birds can be found in the lowlands including backyards and ornamental gardens, especially with some conifers, or even blackberry tangles.

Drab? Yes, that fiery red crest is only present on males, and only when they are displaying. Most of the time the red on the crown is barely visible, even on the males. Even the call is drab, a quiet, husky did-djit. But, oh, that song!

In your field guides you may be tempted to confuse this bird with the Orange-crowned Warbler, as it also is greenish with a red crown. The warbler has no eyering or wingbars, however, spends more time in the tree-top foliage (rather than bark and branches), and behaves in a more wary manner.

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet does look much like the Hutton's Vireo, with similar white spectacles and wingbars. The vireo has a thicker, hook-tipped bill and thicker blue-gray legs. The legs on kinglets are very thin, blackish with bright yellow toes.

Kinglets glean insects from bark and branches, migrating south and downslope after the breeding season. They often appear with chickadees and other small birds in winter in a mixed foraging flock. You may find them attracted to your suet feeder.

They respond quickly and boldly to pishes and pygmy-owl imitations. During this time of agitation they display the red crest as in the photo above.

What bird is that?... Questions and answers

Send your queries about Pacific Northwest bird identification or behavior or other topics. I'll do my best to figure out what you saw. I'll do some research. Then I'll write an article to answer your question. If you have a certain question, no doubt others will, too, and appreciate knowing the answer. My goal will be to do one Q & A article each week, answering all the questions I receive that week. I'll just use your first name and city in my answers. If you send photos I will likely use them (perhaps cropping and adjusting exposure for the web) so others can see what you are seeing.

Send questions to me using this link: PNWBB Q & A

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Question: "Hey Greg, My name is Mark.. and I live in... Lake Oswego. I was just looking out my rear window 2 stories up into a large Big Leaf Maple and saw what I thought was a Solitary Vireo (which one I am not sure, Cassin's?) but it had a red patch on the top of its head. This startled me, so I tried to find photos or mention of a red headed vireo but there doesn't seem to be such a thing....do you know what it was I saw? Greenish with white wing bars and buff colored underneath, belly and breast. Don't currently have access to my bird books. TIA, Mark"

Mark in Lake Oswego, OR

Answer: A small green bird such as you describe could be a vireo, as you first guessed, Mark. Both Cassin's and Hutton's vireos match your description in the Pacific Northwest--except for one important detail as you discovered--vireos do not have red crowns! A small green bird that does have a red crown is Orange-crowned Warbler. They are very common in spring migration (right now) and through the summer in the West. However, they do not show obvious white wingbars as you describe. That leaves the tiny Ruby-crowned Kinglet (as shown in the thumbnail to the left; click for a larger view). Now, only the males have the red crown. And as in the Orange-crowned Warbler, the red only shows when the bird raises its crown feathers. This happens when they are aggitated--perhaps when displaying before a female or when upset about an intruder into their territory.

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Question: "Hi Greg, I spotted this wonderful bird having a mid-afternoon meal in my garden. What beautiful markings he/she had. I’ve not seen birds like this here before.... Can you tell me what species it is? Thank so much."

Claudia in Portland, OR

Answer: Your bird is a male Northern Flicker, Claudia, a type of woodpecker. They are often found on the ground eating ants--their favorite food! We have an article on that bird here: In the backyard... Northern Flicker.