Ruby-Crowned Kinglet At Avalon

Monday, December 19, 2011,

Here are some pics I took of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet at the end of October. Halloween, actually. TheseĀ  tiny guys are wintering here. I’m freezing my butt off and they’re here to enjoy the balmy weather. Go figure.

Can you see that narrow red stripe along the top of his head? That’s its ruby crown. That stripe also identifies it as a male because the females lack that bit of color. Look, the ladies have more to worry about than wearing fancy colors, okay? Not a one of those fancy-headed males has to carry around five to eleven eggs come breeding time, do they? That’s right, these micro-birds, as Kaufman calls them, lay a heck of a lot of eggs. Just not around here. You’ll have to go much further north to see that. In the meantime, enjoy these guys while they’re here.

JK


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *