Listen forBirds
Golden-crowned kinglets in the pines from fall into winter
When: October to March
Golden-crowned kinglets, among the tiniest songbirds in North America, pass through Massachusetts conifers from mid-September through November, and variable numbers stay the winter while most continue south. They flick through white pines and other evergreens in mixed flocks with chickadees, titmice and nuthatches, giving very high, thin, lisping call notes.
Why this time of year
Fall migrants move through Massachusetts from mid-September through November, and some stay on through the winter in the pines, usually traveling with chickadee flocks. A kinglet is never guaranteed, but a mixed flock working through conifers is the place to listen for one.
How to notice it
- Find a stand of hemlock, spruce, or pine, in a park, woodland edge, or a yard with conifers.
- Listen first: very high, thin, lisping call notes, often in threes, are usually the first clue, since the bird is tiny and stays high in the branches.
- Scan the outer twigs and treetops for a small grayish bird hanging upside down while it forages, often traveling with a mixed flock of chickadees, titmice, or nuthatches.
- Look for a black-and-white striped face and a yellow-orange crown stripe, brightest orange in males, yellow in females.
Try this with kids: Stand still under a pine or hemlock tree and listen for the tiniest, highest squeaky sound you can hear. Can you find the tiny bird making it before it flits away?
Sources
- massaudubon.orgMass Audubon, Breeding Bird Atlas 1 account (1975-79 text, a fixed page): fall migrants mid-September through November; 'Variable numbers remain in Massachusetts for the winter, but most move to the southern half of the United States'; White Pines; mixed foraging flocks with chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and creepers; 'lisping, often trisyllabic call notes'.
- audubon.orgAudubon field guide: 'One of our tiniest birds'; crown center orange on male, yellow on female; face stripes, no eye-ring; often hangs upside down while foraging; high thin call notes; conifers.
Checked against these sources on September 22, 2026.
In the guide for October, November, December, January, February, March