Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) [XC351796]
by Paul Driver from Ottawa, Ottawa Division, Ontario, United States (call)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) [XC159827]
by Ian Cruickshank from Broom Hill, Sooke, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada (call)
Subspecies
Traditionally considered closely related to, or even conspecific with, Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla).
Subspecies clarus weakly differentiated from aztecus, and possibly better merged with it. Described subspecies amoenus (ranging from southern Alaska and southern Yukon south through interior mountains to southern California, Utah and Colorado) tentatively synonymized with apache.
The following 6 subspecies are recognised:
olivaceus Baird, SF, 1864 - Breeds south-eastern Alaska and extreme south-western Canada (coastal British Columbia) southern in coastal western USA to Oregon. Non-breeding also south to southern California.
apache Jenks, 1936 - Breeds interior Alaska and south-western Canada (southern Yukon) south through Cascades and Rocky Mts to south-western USA (south to southern California and New Mexico). Non-breeding also south to northern Mexico.
satrapa Lichtenstein, 1823 - Southern Canada (except in west) and north-eastern and eastern USA (southern in Appalachian Mts to Tennessee).
aztecus Lawrence, 1887 - South-central Mexico (mountains from Michoacán south to Oaxaca).
clarus Dearborn, 1907 - Mountains of southern Mexico (Chiapas) and Guatemala.
amoenus van Rossem, 1945 - Kenai Pen. and central Yukon to Rocky Mts. Winters to south-western US.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet