OVERNIGHTING OF GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS DURING WINTER

Abstract

The Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) is the smallest insectivorous bird that overwinters in boreal forests across North America from Alaska to Nova Scotia, where nights may last 16 h and nighttime temperatures may fall below −40° C. I here provide the first documentation of Golden-crowned Kinglets huddling in the field during winter on open branches. The birds forage until darkness and do not necessarily come back every night to the same site. Traveling in groups and huddling where they end up in the darkness compensates for small body size and potential compromises in foraging time.