Kinglet
| Kinglets | |
|---|---|
| |
| Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) inJapan | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Suborder: | Passeri |
| Parvorder: | Muscicapida |
| Family: | Regulidae Vigors,1825 |
| Genera | |
Akingletis a smallbirdin thefamilyRegulidae.Species in this family were formerly classified with theOld World warblers."Regulidae" is derived from theLatinwordregulusfor "petty king" or prince, and refers to the coloured crowns of adult birds. This family has representatives inNorth AmericaandEurasia.There are six species in this family; one, theMadeira firecrest,Regulus madeirensis,was only recently split fromcommon firecrestas a separate species. One species, theruby-crowned kinglet,differs sufficiently in its voice and plumage to be afforded its own genus,Corthylio.
Description
[edit]Kinglets are among the smallest of allpasserines,ranging in size from 8 to 11 cm (3 to 4.5 in) and weighing 6–8 g (0.21–0.28 oz); the sexes are the same size. They have medium-length wings and tails, and small needle-likebills.Theplumageis overall grey-green, offset by pale wingbars, and the tail tip isincised.Five species have a single stiff feather covering the nostrils, but in the ruby-crowned kinglet this is replaced by several short, stiff bristles. Most kinglets have distinctive head markings, and the males possess a colourful crown patch. In the females, the crown is duller and yellower. The long feathers forming the central crown stripe can be erected; they are inconspicuous most of the time, but are used in courtship and territorial displays when the raised crest is very striking.[1]
There are two species of different genera in North America with largely overlapping distributions, and two in Eurasia that also have a considerable shared range. In each continent, one species (goldcrest in Eurasia and golden-crowned kinglet in North America) is a conifer specialist; these have deeply grooved pads on their feet for perching on conifer twigs and a long hind toe and claw for clinging vertically. The two generalists, ruby-crowned kinglet and common firecrest, hunt more in flight and have smoother soles, shorter hind claws and a longer tail.[1]
Taxonomy
[edit]The kinglets are a small group of birds sometimes included in theOld World warblersbut frequently given family status,[2]especially as recent research showed that, despite superficial similarities, the crests are phylogenetically remote from the warblers.[3][4]The name of the family derives from theLatinregulus,a diminutive ofrex,"a king",[5]and refer to the characteristic orange or yellow crests of adult kinglets (aside from the red crest ofCorthylio). The kinglets were allocated to the warbler genusSylviaby EnglishnaturalistJohn Lathamin 1790,[6]but moved to their current genus by FrenchzoologistGeorges Cuvierin 1800.[7]
Most members of the genusRegulusare similar in size and colour pattern. The exception is theruby-crowned kinglet,the largest species, which has a strongly red crest and no black crown stripes. It has distinctive vocalisations, and is different enough from the Old World kinglets and the other American species, the golden-crowned kinglet, to be assigned to a separate genus,Corthylio.[1][8][9]
Species in taxonomic order
[edit]- GenusCorthylio:
- Ruby-crowned kinglet(C. calendula)
- GenusRegulus:
- Common firecrest(R. ignicapilla)
- Madeira firecrest(R. madeirensis)
- Golden-crowned kinglet(R. satrapa)
- Flamecrest(R. goodfellowi)
- Goldcrest(R. regulus)
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Kinglets are birds of theNearcticandPalearctic realms,with representatives in temperate North America, Europe and Asia, northernmost Africa,Macaronesiaand theHimalayas.They are adapted toconiferforests, although there is a certain amount of adaptability and most species will use other habitats, particularly during migration. In Macaronesia, they are adapted tolaurisilvaandtree heaths.[1]
Behaviour
[edit]Diet and feeding
[edit]The tiny size and rapid metabolism of kinglets means that they must constantly forage in order to provide their energy needs. They will continue feeding even whennestbuilding. Kinglets prevented from feeding may lose a third of their body weight in twenty minutes and may starve to death in an hour. Kinglets are insectivores, preferentially feeding on prey such asaphidsandspringtailsthat have soft cuticles. Prey is generallygleanedfrom the branches and leaves of trees, although in some circumstances prey may be taken on the wing or from theleaf litteron the ground.
Life cycle
[edit]Kinglet nests are small, very neat cups, almost spherical in shape, made of moss and lichen held together with spiderwebs and hung from twigs near the end of a high branch of a conifer. They are lined with hair and feathers, and a few feathers are placed over the opening. These characteristics provide good insulation against the cold environment. The female lays 7 to 12 eggs, which are white or pale buff, some having fine dark brown spots. Because the nest is small, they are stacked in layers. The female incubates; she pushes her legs (which are well supplied with blood vessels, hence warm) down among the eggs. A unique feature of kinglets is the "size hierarchy" among eggs, with early-laid eggs being smaller than later ones.[10]
Eggs hatch asynchronously after 15 to 17 days. The young stay in the nest for 19 to 24 days. After being fed, nestlings make their way down to the bottom of the nest, pushing their still-hungry siblings up to be fed in their turn (but also to be cold).
Kinglets are the most fecund and shortest-living of all altricial birds,[11]and probably the shortest-lived apart from a few smallergalliformspecies. Adult mortality for the goldcrest is estimated at over 80 percent per year[12]and the maximum lifespan is only six years.[13]
References
[edit]- ^abcdMartens, Jochen; Päckert, Martin "Family Regulidae (Kinglets & Firecrests)" pp. 330–349 inDel Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Christie, David A., eds. (2006).Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers.Barcelona, Spain:Lynx Edicions.ISBN978-84-96553-06-4.
- ^Monroe, Burt L. (February 1992). "The new DNA-DNA avian classification: What's it all about?".British Birds.85(2): 53–61.
- ^Barker, F Keith; Barrowclough, George F; Groth, Jeff G (2002)."A phylogenetic hypothesis for passerine birds: taxonomic and biogeographic implications of an analysis of nuclear DNA sequence data".Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B.269(1488): 295–308.doi:10.1098/rspb.2001.1883.PMC1690884.PMID11839199.
- ^Spicer, Greg S; Dunipace, Leslie (2004)."Molecular phylogeny of songbirds (Passerifor-mes) inferred from mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences"(PDF).Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.30(2): 325–335.Bibcode:2004MolPE..30..325S.doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00193-3.PMID14715224.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 March 2012.Retrieved24 November2010.
- ^Brookes, Ian, ed. (2006).The Chambers Dictionary, ninth edition.Edinburgh: Chambers. pp. 223, 735, 1277.ISBN978-0-550-10185-3.
- ^Latham, John (1790).Index ornithologicus, sive, Systema ornithologiae, complectens avium divisionem in classes, ordines, genera, species, ipsarumque varietates, adjectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, &c(in Latin). Vol. ii. London: Leigh & Sotheby. p. 548.
- ^Cuvier, Georges (1800).Lecons d'anatomie comparee de M. G. Cuvier, Recueillies et publiees sous ses yeux, par C. Dumeril et Duvernoy(in French). Vol. 1, table 2. Paris: Crochard et cie.
- ^Chesser, R.T.; Billerman, S.M.; Burns, K.J.; Cicero, C.; Dunn, J.L.; Hernández-Baños, B.E.; Kratter, A.W.; Lovette, I.J.; Mason, N.A.; Rasmussen, P.C.; Remsen, J.V.J.; Stotz, D.F.; Winker, K. (2021)."Sixty-second Supplement to the American Ornithological Society's Check-list of North American Birds".Ornithology.138(ukab037).doi:10.1093/ornithology/ukab037.
- ^Gill, Frank;Donsker, David;Rasmussen, Pamela,eds. (July 2021)."Dapple-throats, sugarbirds, fairy-bluebirds, kinglets, Elachura, hyliotas, wrens, gnatcatchers".IOC World Bird List Version 11.2.International Ornithologists' Union.Retrieved20 July2021.
- ^Haftorn, Svein; "Clutch size, intraclutch egg size variation, and breeding strategy in the GoldcrestRegulus regulus";inJournal of Ornithology,Volume 127, Number 3 (1986), 291-301.
- ^Sibly Richard M., Witt, Christopher C., Wright, Natalie A., Venditti, Chris, Jetze, Walter and Brown, James H.;"Energetics, lifestyle, and reproduction in birds"Archived19 July 2014 at theWayback Machine;inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences;109 (27); pp. 10937-10941
- ^In Ricklefs, R.E.; "Sibling competition, hatching asynchrony, incubation period, and lifespan in altricial birds"; in Power, Dennis M. (editor);Current Ornithology.Vol. 11.ISBN9780306439902
- ^Wasser, D. E. and Sherman, P.W.; "Avian longevities and their interpretation under evolutionary theories of senescence" inJournal of Zoology2 November 2009
External links
[edit]
- Kinglet videoson the Internet Bird Collection