At a mere 4 by 7 inches, the Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) is the smallest songbird in North America. On the Olympic Peninsula, it is a year-round resident. Though widely seen and active high up in dense woodland habitats, one has to listen carefully to hear their high-pitched tsee-tsee-tsee call. Kinglets are small but hardy. They often range as far north as coastal Alaska in winter, and can withstand extremely cold temperatures (-40° Fahrenheit) by huddling together for warmth.
Up close, kinglets are dramatically marked with a long, white eyebrow and a bright yellow crest within a black “Mohawk” atop their heads. The males have an additional orange patch in the yellow crown (as seen in the photo).
They tend to nest high up in conifers 50 feet or more above the ground. Their nests are comprised of a wide range of organic materials—moss, bark, twigs, and spider webs—and are positioned usually between two horizontal twigs near the trunk of the tree. They find softer materials like feathers and plant down to line the interior.
Golden-crowned Kinglets are prolific and collaborative breeders, typically raising two broods in season, each a sizeable clutch of 8 to 9 whitish-colored eggs with brownish-gray speckles. Incubation lasts about two weeks. As soon as the first group of chicks leaves the nest (14–19 days after hatching), the female begins another set and the male takes over feeding the first brood by himself, and occasionally the female while incubating. The kinglets are primarily insectivores, preferring small insects and spiders and their eggs, which they find on the undersides of leaves.
During breeding, Golden-crowned Kinglets can be quite territorial, actively defending against several local species—Black-capped, Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Pine Siskins, to name a few. They also have to watch out for predators on their nests. Sharp-shinned Hawks, Douglas squirrels, and Blue Jays are notorious robbers. By and large, kinglets are able to maintain healthy populations because of their amazing adaptability and industriousness.