Tiny bird flashed me rarely seen red-feather crown
DEARJOAN » For a good year or more I had occasionally seen a small bird perch near our garage window and persistently fly up against the pane. I couldn’t identify it and I couldn’t figure out what he or she was thinking until the day I was right there in the garage where I could watch him.
After flying into the pane a few times, he stared right at me and, raising his ruby crown as high as he could, it seemed, revealed himself as a ruby-crowned kinglet.
It was magnificent. Those few red feathers stood straight out and they flared side to side to form a perfect crown as viewed from the front. There must have been at least six of these tiny and yet relatively long red feathers. I wish I could have gotten a photo of that.
Do you think he was angry at his reflection, or maybe just curious about something he saw? — Rudy Dyck, Palo Alto DEARRUDY » Congratulations. Some bird-watchers can go a lifetime with see- ing the glorious red crown.
Ruby-crowned kinglets are fascinating little birds that prefer using their loud, strong voices for frightening away intruders and interlopers over actual physical combat. However, when angered or threatened, the male kinglet will raise those brilliant red feathers and give it his best.
The small birds also are known for the size of their clutches, which can include up to a dozen eggs. That’s hard work for such a tiny bird, but the female only has one brood a year, so I guess that counts for something.
The Bay Area is sort of on the far western edge of the traditional breeding area, but the birds can live here all year. The nests are built near the top of very tall trees, which means we don’t get to see much of what’s going on up there. It also provides the birds with a measure of safety from some predators.
The little fellow you saw probably was trying to frighten away a handsome intruder — himself. While birds can be very smart, they are not self-aware and don’t recognize their own reflections, instead believing they have encountered another bird that is infringing on their territory.
Although the red crown immediately identifies the bird, as it’s rarely revealed, you can identify the kinglet by its nervous behavior, flitting through the foliage and flicking its wings constantly.
In the wild, the kinglet eats lots of insects and some seeds and berries. If you want to attract the birds, try filling platform feeders with hulled sunflower seeds, peanut hearts and mealworms. They also will eat suet from suet cages.
Saving dogs from the slaughterhouse
An adoption group, Jelly’s Place, is hosting a special gathering that will feature a group of women from Slaughterhouse Survivors talking about what happens to dogs on the Chinese meat market, and what we can do to help. Slaughterhouse Survivors rescue the dogs and bring them to the United States for adoption.
If you want to learn more, stop by Jelly’s Place, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at 2905 San Pablo Dam Road, San Pablo. You also can adopt a new friend while you’re there.