Little Birds

Due to a shortage of their natural food in the north, large mixed flocks, (Juncos and assorted Sparrows) visited LI last fall, along with those flocks were “Little Birds” these are the small birds such as Redpolls, Siskins, Kinglets, Nuthatches, and Brown creepers, that with luck visited your yards and feeders last season. 

Redpolls and Pine Siskins are small, about the size of a Goldfinch, the Redpolls have heavily streaked sides, white wing bars and a red patch on their forehead, Siskins are darker, heavily streaked with yellow wing and tail markings, both have tiny seed eating bills, they will visit feeders, sometimes in large numbers feeding on black oil sunflower seeds, shelled peanuts, thistle, and suet. A large flock of Siskins returned daily to raid my feeders early this fall. Kinglets are tiny, slightly larger than a hummingbird, the Ruby Crowned is a greenish grey with white wing bars and a white eye ring, when excited the males raise a ruby crest. 

The Golden Crowned Kinglet has a golden crown surrounded by a black border, and a white eye stripe, when excited they will also raise a ruby crest in the center of their golden crown, they both flit nervously along branches searching for insects (not usually seen at feeders).

A Brown Creeper, is slightly larger than a Kinglet, with a brown streaked back that blends into the tree bark, they also have a white breast and a down curved bill which they use to pick insects and spiders from crevasses in the trees (not usually seen at feeders). If you see a bird descending a tree headfirst looking for insects it is a Nuthatch, the White-Breasted Nuthatch is a little smaller than a House Finch and has an all-white face, blue-gray back and a long bill. The Red-breasted Nuthatch is slightly larger than a Kinglet with a rusty breast and a white eyebrow over a black eye-line, they are common visitors to feeders especially attracted by Black oil sunflower seeds, thistle, shelled peanuts, and suet. 

Maybe next fall we will again be visited by the Little Birds and now you have the information required to identify them.