Kinglet - the smallest bird in Russia (photo, video). Yellow-headed Kinglet, description, photo, where it lives, the appearance of the name, video Kinglet description of the bird

The kinglet is a small and nimble bird of the passerine order (the family of kinglets). Its size can be compared to hummingbirds, which are only slightly smaller. Even an ordinary sparrow next to the kinglet seems to be a rather large feathered one.

Description of the beetle

These birds are rarely seen alone.. They prefer to live in flocks and are very sociable birds. Another characteristic feature of the kinglet is his talent for singing. However, it appears only in males who have reached the age of two.

This is interesting! These songbirds use their voice to attract females, warn of danger, mark their territory, and communicate.

Males intensively practice singing during the mating season, which lasts from April to August. The rest of the time, the voice serves them only to express emotions. In pine groves, you can often hear the singing of kinglets, however, due to their small size, many people cannot determine whose trills they hear. Surprisingly, the highest notes of the kings' vocals are sometimes not heard by elderly people. It can also be noted that this feathered bird is the national bird of Luxembourg.

Appearance

There are 7 subspecies of the family that are found in Eurasia and North America. The most common species is the yellow-headed kinglet, which has a special yellowish “cap”. The main difference between these species is plumage. However, they all have greenish-olive feathers and a greyish belly (females are more faded).

The kinglet has a very memorable appearance. The size of the kinglet is very modest. The length barely reaches 10 centimeters, and the weight is 12 grams. His body is spherical, his head is large, and his tail and neck are shortened. The beak is sharp and thin, like an awl. Small snow-white feathers grow near the eyes, and there are two white stripes on the wings.

The "hat" is outlined in black stripes. In females, it is yellow, and in their partners it is orange. In times of danger or alarm, this bright plumage rises and forms a small tuft resembling a crown. Perhaps it is thanks to him that the bird got its name. Young beetles are distinguished by the absence of bright feathers on their heads.

Lifestyle and behavior

Kinglets are active, friendly and very sociable representatives of birds. It is almost impossible to meet them separately, because they prefer to live in packs. Throughout the day, these birds are constantly moving, exploring the surrounding area, or playing with relatives. They fly from one branch to another, sometimes taking rather intricate poses. They are often seen hanging upside down. However, it is difficult for a person to notice these birds from the ground, because they hide in the crowns of trees.

Near human habitation (gardens or squares), beetles can choose the highest spruce, even if it is located in a rather noisy place. The nest traditionally winds on large branches and at a considerable height from the ground (about 10 meters). It should be noted that these birds quite easily put up with the presence of a person and quickly get used to the changing environment.

This is interesting! Usually, kinglets prefer the tallest spruces for nesting. Less often, they settle in pine forests, and it is almost impossible to meet this representative of the passerine family in deciduous forests.

They prefer to lead a rather sedentary lifestyle, and make forced flights only in winter. However, for kinglets living in the northern regions, migrations in a southerly direction are characteristic. Such migrations take place every year. Sometimes they become massive, and sometimes they occur almost imperceptibly. Kinglets usually return to their native places at the end of spring.

In winter, they can form flocks with other members of the passerine family, with whom they make long flights together and have a similar lifestyle. However, during the nesting period, the beetles prefer to retire from other birds. Like many small birds, beetles try to cope with severe frosts together. They choose a calm and fairly protected place where they can snuggle up close to each other and keep warm. It is thanks to this method of heating that they manage to survive.

However, in very cold and long winters, many beetles die.. This is due to hunger and severe frosts. But the high fecundity of these representatives of birds allows them to avoid extinction. Kings can live in captivity. However, only experienced bird breeders who can provide them with appropriate care can keep them, because they are very shy birds.

How long do kings live

Kinglets in the wild live only a few years. However, cases have been recorded when in captivity these birds managed to live up to seven years.

Range, habitats

Kinglets choose coniferous forests for living, they especially like to nest in spruce forests. There are sedentary and nomadic flocks. They are found mainly in Russia and European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece).

Recently, there has been a tendency to expand coniferous forests (they have better sound insulation, they purify the air better and do not shed a large amount of foliage), which contributes to an increase in the population of beetles. Dense thickets of fir trees are not suitable for birds, however, these representatives of the passerine order are perfectly adapted to life in such conditions. In places where the bird population has grown strongly, the beetles are forced to move to mixed forests. Among them, they try to choose those in which there are many oaks.

King's diet

Although the kinglet is a rather playful and sociable bird, it has to spend most of its time in search of food. To search for food, beetles can unite in flocks with other small birds and continuously search for food. They move along the branches of trees, examining every bump in the bark, and also descend to the ground in search of small insects.

The kinglets can hang in the air for a while, after which they suddenly rush at the prey and grab it with their thin beak. To maintain vitality, this bird needs a sufficient amount of protein. For a day, the kinglet is able to consume up to 6 grams of food, which is almost equal to its weight.

This is interesting! A certain difficulty is the fact that the beak of the kinglet is not able to break solid food. Therefore, he is forced to be content with only small meals, which he usually just swallows.

The basis of its summer diet is made up of small insects and larvae, as well as medium-sized berries.. In winter, they can eat spruce seeds. Severe frosts and snowfalls can force beetles to seek food near human habitation. If in winter the kinglet is left without food for an hour, he will die of hunger. Even 10-12 minutes of fasting can reduce its weight by a third. It should be noted that, despite their modest size, these birds are capable of destroying about several million pests per year.

natural enemies

One of the most famous natural enemies of these birds is the sparrowhawk, whose diet is almost entirely made up of small birds. Sometimes an owl can attack a king. The eggs and chicks of the kinglet can be eaten by large motley woodpeckers or.

Also, the Argentine ant, inadvertently brought by people to the European coast of the Mediterranean Sea, can be attributed to the indirect natural enemies of the beetle. This insect actively replaces other species of ants, which significantly reduces the amount of food for beetles and other inhabitants of the upper forest tiers, forcing them to spend much more time looking for food.

Wren (lat. Regulus) belongs to the order of passerines, the family of kinglets. This bird is notable for its appearance - it is very small, but at the same time it gives out beautiful trills. Kinglets have a small head with a thin, straight beak, a light, well-feathered body with a medium-length tail. There are 7 subspecies of birds, it is found in Europe, North America. Asia. The most popular species is the yellow-headed kinglet, which has a characteristic yellow cap on its head. Basically, kinglets differ in the color of plumage and caps. Their feathers are olive green, in females the color is more faded. The belly is yellowish-white, the sides are red. The size of the kinglet is small: 8-10 centimeters, weight - up to 10 grams.

photo: Kinglet - the smallest songbird in Europe, Russia and Asia

Kinglets prefer to live in coniferous forests, especially they love spruces. There are sedentary and nomadic individuals. They return from warm lands late - in late April or early May.

photo: Korolki prefer to live in coniferous forests

Lifestyle, nutrition, reproduction

The nesting period begins in May-June. The female kinglet builds a spherical nest from moss, cobwebs, thin twigs, and lines it with feathers. Basically, the nest is located high above the ground (4-12 meters), so it is difficult to see it, and birds rarely show up. In one clutch there are 7-10 eggs of pale red color with variegated patches. The female incubates the chicks, while the male feeds her and sings songs. The male displays roulades not only for beauty, it is rather a sign of territoriality.

photo: A crested cap on the head is a distinctive feature of the beetle

After 15-17 days, chicks appear, which will remain in the nest for another three weeks. They are fed by both parents. In July, the female can make a second clutch, however, there will be fewer eggs in it - 6-8. At the end of July, young birds begin to stray into flocks and roam through the forests. Shedding occurs in September-October, the young acquire a characteristic color. The food of the beetle is insects, juniper berries, bird cherry, blackthorn and others. Kinglets are rarely kept in captivity; they are rather shy birds.

photo: Despite its tiny size, the kinglet is a wonderful "singer"

• If the title of the smallest bird has long been occupied by a hummingbird, then the kinglet is its deputy, on average, individuals weigh 6-7 grams;
• Kinglets do not know how to eat large food: they do not split or crush it with their beak, but only swallow it whole;
• The kinglet got its nickname not only because of the tuft in the form of a crown. There is a legend that the birds argued among themselves who would fly closest to the sun. No one could compete with an eagle, except for a small bird that challenged him. The eagle flew close, close to the sun and began to descend, when a tiny bird fluttered out from under its wing and flew even higher. She received the affectionate nickname "Korol";
• Kings are rarely seen alone, they live in flocks, they are very sociable birds.

Korolki(lat. Regulus) - a genus of birds from the order of passeriformes, the only one in the family of kinglets ( Regulidae). The kinglets have a straight, thin beak, the edges of which are concave, and the nostrils are covered with a leathery scale, a slightly notched tail, a tarsus, dressed in horny tops and loose, dense plumage, distinguished by bright colors on the crown of the head. 7 species found in Europe, Asia and North. America. Yellow-headed K. carnation (R. cristatus; see table. Songbirds), 9.6 cm long; the predominant color of the upper side is olive-green with olive-brown, the upper part of the head is golden yellow, the elongated crown feathers are bright orange, the underside is rusty-yellowish-white, the sides are reddish-brown; the female differs in that the middle of the crown is not orange, but yellow. It is found throughout Europe to the Far North and throughout Asia to the Amur Territory; keeps mainly in coniferous, especially pine forests. Red-headed K. (R. ignicapillus) is similar to the previous one, but more yellow in color, a wide spot on the crown of the head is dark orange, the forehead is red-brown, a narrow strip around the front of the head, and a wide one above the eye are black, under the eye there is a white dash; the female has a yellowish-orange crown. Found in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Greece. Keeps in coniferous forests, especially spruce. In terms of lifestyle, both species are similar, they live mainly on tall trees, are sedentary or nomadic; they feed on small insects and seeds, their main food in winter consists of eggs and insect larvae. The chicks are hatched in May and July; spherical nests made of moss, wool, caterpillar webs and lined with feathers, partly covering the entrance to the nest, have thick walls, are placed at the ends of thin branches and are well hidden in the branches. The first clutch consists of 8-10, the second of 6-9 very fragile eggs 13 mm long, whitish-gray or pale red in color with gray dots and veins. The chicks are fed with small insects.

Why is the kinglet called the kinglet? Firstly, because of the “crown” on the head, and secondly ... There was such a legend ... Once there was a competition among the birds: whoever flies the highest into the sky, that is the Bird King! And the eagle flew up, and he rose above all, above the clouds, straight to the Sun. And none of the birds dared to compete with the Bird King. But together with the eagle, hiding under its wing, the smallest bird took off into the sky. When the eagle reached its height, it turned under the Sun and began to descend. A small bird flew out from under his wing and for a moment turned out to be higher than him, higher than everyone else. The trick, of course, was noticed, but everyone admired the courage and resourcefulness of the bird. And they affectionately called her King.

List of species

• yellow-headed kinglet ( Regulus regulus) (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Canary King ( Regulus teneriffae) Seebohm, 1883
• red-headed beetle ( Regulus ignicapillus) (Temminck, 1820)
• Madeira Kinglet ( Regulus madeirensis) (Harcourt, 1851)
• Taiwan King ( Regulus goodfellowi) Ogilvie-Grant, 1906
• Golden King ( Regulus satrapa) Lichtenstein, 1823
• Ruby-Headed Wren ( Regulus calendula) (Linnaeus, 1766)

Literature

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See what "King (bird)" is in other dictionaries:

wren- KING, lka, m A small forest bird of the passerine order with a common grayish-green plumage and orange or yellow feathers on the crown; widespread in the forests of the North. hemisphere. The wren is a small bird, its length is only 9 11 ... ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns

KING, lka, husband. 1. Sweet orange variety with reddish flesh. 2. A small forest bird of the passerine order with a bright crown coloration. 3. An ingot of a noble metal in the form of a small ball, as well as a small ball, a drop of solidified metal ... ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

Yellow-headed Kinglet Yellow-headed Kinglet Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type ... Wikipedia

Imagine a frosty snowy forest. Tall fir trees, snowdrifts, silence. Everything around seemed to have died out and froze ... And suddenly something stirred at the very top of the Christmas tree.

With a high, barely audible squeak, a tiny creature flutters in the spruce crown, looking for something, funny hanging upside down. The creature is so small that it easily stands even on long pine needles! This is a yellow-headed beetle. The proud name was given to the baby for the bright stripe on the head - the “crown”, orange-yellow in males and lemon-yellow in females. In, where the bird appears only in winter, it is called the "winter golden cockerel", and in the past it was called the "carnation".

The king is very hard to spot. And not only because it is very small, it is also perfectly camouflaged. The coloration, olive green above and light gray below, makes the bird completely invisible against the background of the branches. Only a bright spot on the head, bordered by a black stripe, stands out against the general background, but you can’t make out it from below either. And the beetle rarely descends to the ground, feeding mainly in the crowns of coniferous trees. Only in winter and at the very beginning of spring, when everything is already eaten from above or knocked down by the wind, birds sometimes descend to the ground and look for prey under the leaves and in the snow.

EAT AND SING

Of course, large prey is too tough for such a baby. He cannot even gouge or split it with his beak, as, for example, tits do, but swallows only whole. What can such a baby swallow? A lot of things: aphids, springtails, small spider bugs, various larvae and insect eggs - everything is in use. The beetle collects food mainly at the ends of pine and spruce branches, examining secluded places between needles, looking under bark scales, into the smallest cracks and cracks. There are enough flying insects on the fly, hovering in the air like a hummingbird. In icy conditions or with a lack of animal food, birds sometimes swallow spruce and pine seeds. The exchange of such a small thing is very fast, it is absolutely impossible for her to starve. So, in just 12 minutes of fasting, the yellow-headed beetle can lose up to a third of its weight. Therefore, he eats almost continuously.

It is for this reason that it cannot be kept in captivity.

Almost as constantly as he eats, the male kinglet sings. His aria is a bit like a titmouse: the wren repeats 5-6 times the same three-syllable cries “chi-fli-chii ... chi-fli-chii”, stretching the last syllable, and ends with a short trill.

From mid-April to August, during the entire breeding season, its rhythmic whistles and trills sound. And some amateurs start the singing season as early as February and end in September, and even in winter the birdies sometimes begin to sing softly. But not everyone can hear them - the sounds of the beetle are so high that they are on the verge of the range that a person perceives.

BALL ON THE TREE

The yellow-headed kinglet is the smallest bird in Russia and Europe. Her tail is short, her head is large, turning immediately into a round body - not a bird, but a ball on thin tenacious paws. Of the seven species of kinglets, two live in Russia, but the range of the red-headed kinglet is much smaller. But there are up to 12 subspecies of yellow-headed kinglets, which differ in size, shades and color intensity of plumage.

Kings live in our forests almost settled. In winter, they usually do not stick to their nesting site, wandering along with tits, nuthatches and other small birds. During starvation, such migrations can take the direction and character of a real migration, when flocks of "royal" birds move south, sometimes flying up to a thousand kilometers. But this happens quite rarely, most of the beetles spend the winter in the same place as the summer.

Kinglet definitely needs coniferous (preferably spruce) forests. In mixed or deciduous, this bird is found only during migrations, and for nesting it still chooses spruce forests. Mixed forests are also suitable, but Christmas trees must grow there, because the kinglet builds its cozy nest under the protection of the spruce paw. So the distribution area of ​​​​the kinglet almost completely coincides with the spruce range.

TRY TO LOOK!

About the nest - a special conversation. Few people managed to see him (by the way, that is why in most reference books about the nesting of the kinglet it is honestly written: “Apparently, it is nesting”). Firstly, it is as tiny as the bird itself - 9-10 cm in diameter. Secondly, a warm, reliable building, similar to a piece of moss, is not visible against the background of green branches. This marvel of avian architecture is suspended from the bottom of a shaggy spruce paw so that thin twigs are woven into the walls of the nest. All this structure is usually located at least 8-10 m above the ground.

NUMEROUS OFFspring

Construction work takes quite a long time, up to three weeks, and begins in mid-April - early May. It was at this time that friendly king flocks break up into pairs. Builds, as it should be for a man, mostly male. Moss, lichens and thin stems he firmly entangles and fastens with cobwebs of caterpillars and cocoons of spiders, and lines the inside with hair and feathers.

It turns out a soft, deep and very dense cup. Eggs in the nest are usually 8-10. They are yellowish, with many small brown specks, and sometimes black dashes. The female incubates them, and the partner diligently feeds her. After 15-17 days, the male has to feed the hatched babies - naked babies in the first week of life are not able to maintain their temperature, and the female needs to constantly warm them. Here you have to work hard: the male constantly flutters in the crown of the "home" spruce, delivering food to the family up to 300 times a day! Chicks sit in the nest very closely, sometimes in two tiers, on top of each other, and, growing up, gradually stretch their native dwelling, so the old nests of kinglets easily fall apart.

The baby grows up quickly: after 20 days, the chicks begin to get out of the cramped nest to neighboring branches, and after a month they are already flying confidently. And the kinglets, having fed their first children for a week, give birth to the second ones. Of course, in the very north of the range, the second laying is not always possible, but even in the taiga, the “golden cockerel” manages to breed twice in a summer! The need for such a hurry is understandable: tiny birds, and even wintering in the harsh taiga forests, often die, and it is necessary to urgently and quickly restore their numbers.

Having lost parental care, the kinglets of the first brood at first stay together with their brothers and sisters, but in July they already gather in flocks and begin to roam through coniferous forests. In September, young birds molt and acquire bright "crowns".

INTERESTING FACTS

There is a well-known rule of ecology: in the north, the sizes of animals are usually larger than in the south. The fact is that heat is generated in a small volume, and is given off through a relatively large surface. With an increase in size, the volume grows faster than the surface, so it is easier for large animals (and people, by the way, too) to keep warm than small ones. Can you imagine how difficult it is for a king to keep its warmth, and how much you need to eat for this? And the day in winter is short ... By the way, in order not to lose precious warmth, the kinglets often spend the night in a flock, closely clinging to each other.

LIFE IN NUMBERS

The testicles of the beetle are about 12 mm long and 10 wide. In this case, the total weight of the clutch is about 120% of the weight of the female! It's very difficult to be small.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF

Class: birds.
Order: passerines.
Family: kings.
Genus: kings.
Species: yellow-headed beetle.
Latin name: Regulus regulus
Size: body length - 9-11 cm, wingspan - 15-17 cm.
Weight: 4-8 g.
Life expectancy of the yellow-headed beetle: 2-3 years.

Today I would like to tell you about one of the smallest birds of Eurasia, namely, the yellow-headed beetle.

A bit of biology

Yellow-headed kinglet (lat. Regulus regulus) is a small songbird of the kinglet family, common in the forest zone of Eurasia. This is the smallest bird in Europe and Russia, comparable in size only to the wren, red-headed kinglet and kinglet warbler. Another distinguishing feature of this bird is a bright golden-yellow stripe on the crown of the head, the “crown”, thanks to which the bird acquired its scientific and Russian name.

A very small bird, with a spherical build similar to a warbler, with a very short tail, short neck and large head. Body length 7-10 cm, wingspan 15-17 cm, weight 4-8 g. Top is greenish-olive, bottom is grayish, two white transverse stripes stand out on the wing. A yellow stripe with black borders runs along the crown, wider and with an orange tint in the male, and with a lemon tint in the female. When the bird is agitated, the yellow feathers rise and form a small tuft.

There is a thin ring of white short feathers around the eye. The beak is thin and pointed. Young birds are similar to adults, differing from them until the first autumn by the absence of a yellow stripe on the head. The kinglet is most easily recognized by its characteristic singing, especially when it is difficult to detect it in the upper tier of the forest. The usual call is a thin chi-chi-chi squeak, consisting of 2-3 syllables and performed on a very high note. The song is melodic, consisting of alternating high rhythmic whistles “pri-tyut-ii…pri-tyut-ii…pri-tyut”, at the end of which a short trill sounds. This melody, which lasts up to 6 seconds, is usually repeated 4-6 times in a row. Sometimes the song is preceded by a chorus of one or more monosyllabic sounds in the same key. The yellow-headed kinglet is distributed throughout most of Eurasia, as well as in the Canary and Azores. In most of the territory, the main nesting biotope is tall spruce forests. Predominantly sedentary, making occasional migrations during the winter months. Only in the extreme north of the area of ​​movement to the south acquire the character of a full-fledged migration.

During most of the year, yellow-headed beetles are very friendly, but in the spring, at the beginning of the mating season, males become more aggressive and cocky. The most important element of the mating behavior of male kinglets is the display of a yellow-orange forelock. Lowering and raising the forelock signal that the male is looking for a partner, and at the same time acts as an invitation for other males to a duel. In late April - early May, the beetles already form pairs. The female is in charge of building the nest. Interestingly, the beetle's nest has a spherical shape. The bird builds it from green moss, grass stems and lichens. The nest tray is lined with feathers. The nest of this bird is very difficult to notice, from a distance it resembles a lump of tangled branches. The female lays seven to nine small eggs about 12 mm long and 10 wide. Within 14-16 days she incubates the clutch. Parents feed the chicks together. Cubs usually leave the nest after 15-16 days. The second laying in kinglets is not always and not in the entire range. It consists of six to eight eggs.

Yellow-headed kinglets are very mobile and friendly birds that live in coniferous forests. These birds lead a nomadic lifestyle. They form small flocks along with other bird species. During the day, yellow-headed beetles continuously look for food. Often they descend to the ground and look for insects in the moss.

Interesting Facts.

The male beetle attacks its own reflection during mating.

It is often erroneously claimed that the smallest European bird is the wren. Although its body length is the same as that of the yellow-headed beetle, it weighs almost twice as much as it.

In order not to lose precious warmth in winter, kinglets often spend the night in a flock, closely clinging to each other.

There is a special conversation about the nest, in many reference books it is written "possibly nests."

The metabolism of this bird is so fast that in 12 minutes of starvation up to 1/3 of the mass is lost, and in less than an hour to die of hunger. That's why she eats continuously.

The yellow-headed kinglet is the national bird of Luxembourg.

The usual call is a thin chi-chi-chi squeak, consisting of 2-3 syllables and performed on a very high note - many older people do not perceive sounds in this range.

The average lifespan of a beetle is 2 years, and the maximum known age recorded in Denmark is 5 years and 5 months. According to the ringing results, the oldest yellow-headed beetle was 7 years old.

At the end of the nesting period, young and adult birds gather in flocks, often mixed with blue tit, moskovka, brown-headed chickadee, pika, warblers and other small birds, and wander in search of food.

Kinglets do not know how to grind food, swallowing whole. On the day one bird needs to eat 2 times its own weight.

A small yellow stripe on the crown of the head, somewhat resembling a small comb, gave the beetle a funny name in Germany - the winter golden cockerel. Winter - from the fact that he appears in the parks and gardens of Germany in winter.

Kinglets, like hummingbirds, can also hang in one place, at the very tips of needle-shaped branches of spruce, fir or pine, choosing the smallest insects from there.

The weight of the eggs laid by the female is 120% of the female's weight.

Kinglets do not compete for food with tits, nuthatches, or pikas: they collect the smallest insects, larvae and eggs on the thinnest branches, where even tit tits do not climb.