Editing Kinglet (section)

==Behaviour==

===Diet and feeding===
The tiny size and rapid metabolism of kinglets means that they must constantly forage in order to provide their energy needs. They will continue feeding even when [[bird nest|nest]] building. Kinglets prevented from feeding may lose a third of their body weight in twenty minutes and may starve to death in an hour. Kinglets are insectivores, preferentially feeding on prey such as [[aphid]]s and [[springtail]]s that have soft cuticles. Prey is generally [[Gleaning (birds)|gleaned]] from the branches and leaves of trees, although in some circumstances prey may be taken on the wing or from the [[leaf litter]] on the ground.

===Life cycle===
Kinglet nests are small, very neat cups, almost spherical in shape, made of moss and lichen held together with spiderwebs and hung from twigs near the end of a high branch of a conifer. They are lined with hair and feathers, and a few feathers are placed over the opening. These characteristics provide good insulation against the cold environment. The female lays 7 to 12 eggs, which are white or pale buff, some having fine dark brown spots. Because the nest is small, they are stacked in layers. The female incubates; she pushes her legs (which are well supplied with blood vessels, hence warm) down among the eggs. A unique feature of kinglets is the "size hierarchy" among eggs, with early-laid eggs being smaller than later ones.<ref>Haftorn, Svein; "Clutch size, intraclutch egg size variation, and breeding strategy in the Goldcrest ''Regulus regulus''"; in ''[[Journal of Ornithology]]'', Volume 127, Number 3 (1986), 291-301.</ref>

Eggs hatch asynchronously after 15 to 17 days. The young stay in the nest for 19 to 24 days. After being fed, nestlings make their way down to the bottom of the nest, pushing their still-hungry siblings up to be fed in their turn (but also to be cold).

Kinglets are the most fecund and shortest-living of all altricial birds,<ref>Sibly Richard M., Witt, Christopher C., Wright, Natalie A., Venditti, Chris, Jetze, Walter and Brown, James H.; [http://biology.unm.edu/witt/pub_files/PNAS-2012-Sibly-etal-Avian-productivity.pdf "Energetics, lifestyle, and reproduction in birds"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719215519/http://biology.unm.edu/witt/pub_files/PNAS-2012-Sibly-etal-Avian-productivity.pdf |date=19 July 2014 }}; in ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences''; 109 (27); pp. 10937-10941</ref> and probably the shortest-lived apart from a few smaller [[galliformes|galliform]] species. Adult mortality for the goldcrest is estimated at over 80 percent per year<ref>In Ricklefs, R.E.; "Sibling competition, hatching asynchrony, incubation period, and lifespan in altricial birds"; in Power, Dennis M. (editor); ''Current Ornithology''. Vol. 11. {{ISBN|9780306439902}}</ref> and the maximum lifespan is only six years.<ref>Wasser, D. E. and Sherman, P.W.; "Avian longevities and their interpretation under evolutionary theories of senescence" in ''Journal of Zoology'' 2 November 2009</ref>