Date: 10/28/26 7:17 pm From: Dominik Mosur <dominikmosur...> Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Ruby-crowned Kinglet breeding in Santa Cruz county?
Hi Carol,
As far as I know Ruby-crowned kinglets are uncommon and localized breeders
at higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada , the Cascades and possibly the
San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California. Nesting habitat is subalpine
forest typically at 6000’ and above.
I’m not aware of any breeding records in the Santa Cruz mountains or
anywhere in the area. Nesting here would be completely unprecedented.
Dominik
On Wed, Oct 28, 2026 at 19:01 donna cowan <donnicus44...> wrote:
> They breed and nest in the summer, usually July and August
>
> On Wed, Oct 28, 2026, 6:49 PM 'Louise West' via mbbirds <
> <mbbirds...> wrote:
>
>> I saw and photographed one at Roaring Camp yesterday, but have no clue if
>> it’s breeding. I got one badly blurred image with the crown showing, but
>> the sharp shots (alas) don’t show the red crown.
>>
>> Louise W
>> Felton
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> > On Oct 28, 2026, at 6:37 PM, Carol Pecot <carol.pecot...> wrote:
>> >
>> > Hi all,
>> >
>> > Are there any records or sightings of Ruby-crowned Kinglets breeding in
>> the Santa Cruz mountains?
>> >
>> > In my garden today I was talking with a non-birder, and I thought I saw
>> a Ruby-crowned Kinglet flitting by. I finally saw enough to id, including
>> the call, and said “Oh, it’s a Ruby-crowned Kinglet”. The person I was
>> talking to said “that’s what I thought it was”, which seemed weird given
>> she was not a birder. She explained that it was one of the few birds she
>> knew because one had nested outside of her room and she got lots of good
>> looks, and even saw the ruby crown a few times. She showed me a June 29
>> picture of the bird sitting on the nest, and a July 3 pic of the babies.
>> >
>> > She also reported some interesting behavior. When the female was
>> sitting on the nest, there were two adult kinglets who would perch nearby,
>> waiting. When she arrived, they would also arrive, and when she left, they
>> left. Do kinglets have a history of “helpers” from prior broods?
>> >
>> > Does anyone have information on Ruby-crowned Kinglets breeding in the
>> mountains here?
>> >
>> > Thanks, Carol Pecot
>> >
>> > PS the picture sure looks like a Ruby-crowned Kinglet sitting on the
>> nest (not a Hutton’s Vireo), and I have permission to share it. However, I
>> must confess that I know how to attach a picture to an email, but I think
>> we are not supposed to do that? I don’t know how to set it up as a
>> link….. I’ll try to figure that out if anyone wants to see the pic.
>> >
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