Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)

The first time I had seen a Ruby-crowned Kinglet was in December, 2000. At that time, and also when I sighted this bird again yesterday in our feeder area, I at first thought I was looking at an adult nonbreeding female Goldfinch as it was rather drab looking and had whitish wingbars. The immediate visual difference however was its very noticable eye ring and it was tiny, with a stocky looking appearance, smaller than a Goldfinch.

The adult male Ruby-crowned Kinglet has a small red crest on the top of its head that can sometimes be seen.