Episode 48: Ruby-Crowned Kinglet – Voice of the Wild

This is Illinois Extension’s Voice of the Wild. A new wild voice in just a moment, so find someplace quiet, take a deep breath, and enjoy.

My favorite field guide - a somewhat dated Peterson Eastern Birds- describes this creature as a “tiny stub-tailed birdlet” which I think is a bit harsh, though it is a quite small bird with a fairly short tail. It is easiest to find in migration when it joins with flocks of warblers and chickees foraging through budding trees as they are all heading north. The bird is named for its crest, which is unfortunate, because it keeps that crest hidden unless it is very excited or perhaps a little cross.

This is the ruby-crowned kinglet (Corthylio calendula) from the family Regulidae

The ruby crowned is far harder to find in winter than its sibling, the golden-crowned kinglet, but during migration, you can find both birds readily. It is easy to differentiate the two by sound; the ruby-crowned kinglet’s “Jeedeet” call is characteristic. And where the tense rise of the golden-crowned’s song is followed by a relaxed fall, the ruby crowned’s is followed by an intense but musical mess of notes.

Be careful IDing these kinglets by their crown, as this is unfortunately not always diagnostic at a distance, that’s because the golden crowneds sometimes have a very strong tinge of red and sometimes the bird simply won’t give you a good look at the top of its head. If that’s the case - look at the eye. The ruby-crowned will have an eyering and the golden-crowned an eye line. Here’s the ruby-crowned kinglet again.

Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for our bird sounds. And thank you for tuning in to learn a new wild voice with Illinois Extension.