Ruby-crowned Kinglet Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesRuby-crowned Kinglet
Adult
Tiny songbird with an equally tiny tail and bill. Olive-green overall with a prominent white eyering and white wingbar. Note black bar below the wingbar.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, December 06, 2016Adult male
Tiny, small featured bird. Adult males flash a brilliant red crown when excited; otherwise it is concealed.
© Paul Jacyk 🦉 / Macaulay LibraryOhio, April 04, 2017Adult
Tiny, thin-billed bird filled with seemingly nervous energy. Forages (often at lower levels but only rarely on the ground) with twitchy motions and often flicks wings.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryArkansas, February 04, 2005Adult
Olive-green above with a white wingbar and yellow-edged wing and tail feathers. Note black bar below the wingbar.
© Eric Ellingson / Macaulay LibraryWashington, March 28, 2020Adult
The namesake crown is usually concealed, but white eyering and small size are good field marks.
© Ryan Sanderson / Macaulay LibraryIndiana, April 22, 2020Adult
Frequently flicks wings while foraging.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, October 13, 2018Adult
Tiny and acrobatic. Often forages at lower and middle levels flicking its wings as it goes.
© Rob Dickerson / Macaulay LibraryPennsylvania, December 04, 2015Adult
Plain face helps to distinguish Ruby-crowned Kinglet from the similar (but more boldly marked) Golden-crowned Kinglet.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, October 29, 2018Juvenile
Juvenile is browner than adult, with buffy wingbars. Note also the orange gape at the corner of the mouth.
© Lyall Bouchard / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, August 05, 2020Adult
Breeds in tall, dense evergreen forests. In winter and during migration, found in shrubby habitats, deciduous forests, parks, and suburbs.
© Dan Berard / Macaulay LibraryRhode Island, January 31, 2016Similar SpeciesHutton's Vireo
Adult
Hutton's Vireos are larger and move more slowly than Ruby-crowned Kinglets. They do not show a black bar on the wing below the white wingbar like Ruby-crowned Kinglets do.
© Scott Olmstead / Macaulay LibraryArizona, January 22, 2017Similar SpeciesGolden-crowned Kinglet
Adult male
Golden-crowned Kinglets have a much bolder face pattern, with a yellow crown bordered by black stripes and a white stripe over the eye unlike Ruby-crowned, which have plain face with a white eyering.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, December 05, 2016Species in This Family
More to Read
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.