Golden-crowned Kinglets (Regulus satrapa) are not woodpeckers, but a tiny kinglet that I spotted this past weekend at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge seemed to be doing its best imitation of one as it pecked away at a little branchlet.
For those of you who are not familiar with Golden-crowned Kinglets, they are really, really small birds. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, these kinglets are 3.1-4.3 inches in length ( 8-11 cm) and weigh only 0.1-0.3 oz (4-8 gm). It is always exciting to spot a kinglet and always a challenge to get a unobstructed, in-focus shot of one.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
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I, too, always find the spotting of a kinglet exciting, Michael. Great photo you captured here, and uncanny how woodpecker-like this pose is.
Thanks, Jet. I do love both varieties of kinglets that we have here–ruby- and golden-crowned. As for the pose, I have photographed multiple Downy Woodpeckers in virtually that same pose.
Looks like he’s hanging on pretty tight.
You just keep me hanging on… Now that song is stuck in my head, Dan.
Sorry Mike!