- kinglet
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/king"lit/, n.1. a king ruling over a small country or territory.2. any of several small, greenish, crested birds of the genus Regulus. Cf. goldcrest, golden-crowned kinglet, ruby-crowned kinglet.[1595-1605; KING + -LET]
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▪ birdany of six species of small songbirds (songbird) of the family Sylviidae. Although among the smallest of songbirds (weighing less than 10 grams [0.4 ounce]), they are able to survive cold climates and remain exceedingly active by flitting constantly about and flicking their wings open and closed. These round-bodied, short-billed little birds (bird) are usually found in coniferous woodlands (coniferous forest). They make a high-hanging nest of moss bound with cobwebs that is so small that the 5–10 eggs (egg) within may lie in two layers. Kinglets are about 9 cm (3.5 inches) long, with greenish gray body plumage and bright crown marks.The golden-crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa) of North America is often considered the same species as the goldcrest (R. regulus) of Eurasia; both have the crown patch—red in males, yellow in females—strikingly bordered with black. The firecrest (R. ignicapillus) of Europe resembles the goldcrest but has a white eyeline, and the flamecrest, or yellow-rumped kinglet (R. goodfellowi), of Taiwan is sometimes considered a subspecies of the firecrest. In the ruby-crowned kinglet (R. calendula) of North America, the crown mark is a mere tick of red, appearing on the male only and usually concealed.Sy Montgomery* * *
Universalium. 2010.
