Goldcrest
The Goldcrest is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers, as well as being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore, gives rise to its English and scientific names. The scientific name, Regulus regulus, means king or knight.
Several subspecies of the Goldcrest have been described. In continental Eurasia, there are 9 generally accepted and very similar sub-species, differing only in details such as plumage shade. The nominate sub-species R. r. regulus breeds in most of Europe.
The Goldcrest is one of the smallest European birds, measuring 3.3 to 3.7 inches in length with a 5.3 to 6.1 inches wingspan and a weight of 0.16 to 0.25 ounces. It is similar in appearance to many warblers, with olive-green upperparts, buff-white underparts, 2 white wing bars and a plain face with conspicuous black irises. The crown of the head has black sides and a narrow black front and a bright crest, yellow with an orange centre in the male and entirely yellow in the female. The crest is erected in display, making the distinctive orange stripe of the male much more conspicuous. The small, thin bill is black and the legs are dark flesh-brown. Apart from the crest colour, the sexes are alike although in fresh plumage, the female may have very slightly paler upperparts and greyer underparts than the adult male. The juvenile is similar to the adult but it has duller upperparts and lacks the coloured crown.
The Goldcrest is usually easily distinguished from other small birds in its range but poor views could possibly lead to confusion with the Firecrest or the Yellow-browed Warbler. The adult Firecrest has a distinguishing face pattern showing a bright white supercilium and black eye-stripe and the juvenile usually shows enough of this face pattern to be readily distinguished from the plain-faced Goldcrest. The Yellow-browed Warbler has a yellowish supercilium and a pale crown stripe so it also shows a different head pattern to the Goldcrest.
The flight of the Goldcrest is distinctive and consists of whirring wing-beats with occasional sudden changes of direction. Shorter flights while feeding are a mix of dashing and fluttering with frequent hovering. It moves restlessly among foliage and regularly creeps on branches and up and down tree trunks.
The typical contact call of the Goldcrest is thin and high-pitched and given at intervals of 1 to 4 seconds with all the notes at the same pitch. The song of the male Goldcrest is a very high, thin double repeated note ending in a flourish. The entire song lasts 3 to 4 seconds and is repeated 5 to 7 times a minute. This song, often uttered while the male is foraging, can be heard in most months of the year.
The Goldcrest has a huge range in Eurasia, breeding from Macaronesia to Japan. It is common in middle and northern temperate and boreal latitudes of Europe between the 13 to 24 °C July isotherms and thus predominantly in cooler climates than the Firecrest. Further east it occurs discontinuously through southern Siberia to Sakhalin and Japan, in the Tian Shan mountains, northern Iran and from the Himalayas east to central China. The Goldcrest has bred in Iceland since about 1999 and was widespread by 2004 although numbers are affected by hard winters. Breeding occurs intermittently in the Faroe Islands. The Goldcrest is partly migratory with northernmost populations deserting their breeding areas in winter. Birds winter in Europe and Asia south of the breeding range.
The Goldcrest breeds at considerable densities in mature lowland and mountain coniferous woodlands, mainly up to 9,800 feet, and occasionally to 15,700 feet. It uses Spruce, Larch, Scots Pine, Silver Fir and Mountain Pine and in man-made landscapes it also uses introduced conifers such as Douglas Fir. Broad-leaved woods are used only when some coniferous trees are also present and sites such as gardens, parks and cemeteries are used only when they offer suitable conifers that are not otherwise locally available. Unlike more specialised birds such as the Nuthatch and the Treecreeper, both of which forage on tree trunks, the Goldcrest does not need large woodlands and population density is not related to woodland size. Once the breeding season is over, the Goldcrest will readily move into deciduous trees and shrubs, heathland and similar more open habitats.
The Goldcrest is a monogamous species. The male sings during the breeding season, usually while foraging rather than from a perch. It has a display involving bowing its head towards another bird and raising the coloured crest.
The nest, constructed by both sexes, is a well-insulated cup-shaped structure built in 3 layers and often suspended from a hanging branch. The outer layer is made from moss, small twigs, cobwebs and lichen, the cobwebs also being used to attach the nest to the thin branches that support it. The middle layer is moss which is lined by an inner layer of feathers and hair. Egg laying starts at the end of April into early May with 9 to 11 eggs laid but ranging from 6 to 13. Second clutches, which are common, are laid usually while the first nest still has young. The male generally builds the second nest, then feeds the young in the first nest while the female is incubating in the second. When the first brood has fledged, the male joins the female in feeding the second brood. The female incubates the eggs for 16 to 19 days to hatching and she also broods the chicks which fledge in a further 17 to 22 days later. Both parents feed the chicks and fledged young.
The Goldcrest becomes sexually mature after 1 year and it has an annual adult mortality of over 80% giving a life expectancy of around 8 months which is one of the shortest for any bird. There are nonetheless records of an individual surviving to 4 years 10 months and even a report of a bird ringed in Winchester in 1989 and found dead in Morocco 7 years and 7 months later.
The Goldcrest feeds in trees, frequently foraging on the undersides of branches and leaves. It is almost exclusively insectivorous and takes a wide variety of prey, especially spiders, caterpillars, bugs, springtails and flies. Flying insects are taken in hovering flight but are not normally pursued. Non-animal food is rare although the Goldcrest has been seen drinking sap from broken birch twigs together with other birds.
Outside the breeding season, small groups of Goldcrests maintain exclusive winter feeding territories which they defend against neighbouring groups. As they roam around their territory, they frequently join loose flocks of other wanderers such as tits and warblers. In some areas, wintering birds have developed the habit of coming to feeding stations and bird tables to take fat, sometimes with warblers such as the Chiffchaff and the Blackcap.
The Goldcrest has a very large range and a very large population and it is therefore classed as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List. There was some northward range expansion in Scotland, Belgium, Norway, and Finland during the 20th century, assisted by the spread of conifer plantations. The population is currently stable although there may be temporary marked and heavy declines in harsh winters. However, populations can recover and expand rapidly after a series of mild winters.
Date: 18th January 2023
Location: Laindon, Essex
Several subspecies of the Goldcrest have been described. In continental Eurasia, there are 9 generally accepted and very similar sub-species, differing only in details such as plumage shade. The nominate sub-species R. r. regulus breeds in most of Europe.
The Goldcrest is one of the smallest European birds, measuring 3.3 to 3.7 inches in length with a 5.3 to 6.1 inches wingspan and a weight of 0.16 to 0.25 ounces. It is similar in appearance to many warblers, with olive-green upperparts, buff-white underparts, 2 white wing bars and a plain face with conspicuous black irises. The crown of the head has black sides and a narrow black front and a bright crest, yellow with an orange centre in the male and entirely yellow in the female. The crest is erected in display, making the distinctive orange stripe of the male much more conspicuous. The small, thin bill is black and the legs are dark flesh-brown. Apart from the crest colour, the sexes are alike although in fresh plumage, the female may have very slightly paler upperparts and greyer underparts than the adult male. The juvenile is similar to the adult but it has duller upperparts and lacks the coloured crown.
The Goldcrest is usually easily distinguished from other small birds in its range but poor views could possibly lead to confusion with the Firecrest or the Yellow-browed Warbler. The adult Firecrest has a distinguishing face pattern showing a bright white supercilium and black eye-stripe and the juvenile usually shows enough of this face pattern to be readily distinguished from the plain-faced Goldcrest. The Yellow-browed Warbler has a yellowish supercilium and a pale crown stripe so it also shows a different head pattern to the Goldcrest.
The flight of the Goldcrest is distinctive and consists of whirring wing-beats with occasional sudden changes of direction. Shorter flights while feeding are a mix of dashing and fluttering with frequent hovering. It moves restlessly among foliage and regularly creeps on branches and up and down tree trunks.
The typical contact call of the Goldcrest is thin and high-pitched and given at intervals of 1 to 4 seconds with all the notes at the same pitch. The song of the male Goldcrest is a very high, thin double repeated note ending in a flourish. The entire song lasts 3 to 4 seconds and is repeated 5 to 7 times a minute. This song, often uttered while the male is foraging, can be heard in most months of the year.
The Goldcrest has a huge range in Eurasia, breeding from Macaronesia to Japan. It is common in middle and northern temperate and boreal latitudes of Europe between the 13 to 24 °C July isotherms and thus predominantly in cooler climates than the Firecrest. Further east it occurs discontinuously through southern Siberia to Sakhalin and Japan, in the Tian Shan mountains, northern Iran and from the Himalayas east to central China. The Goldcrest has bred in Iceland since about 1999 and was widespread by 2004 although numbers are affected by hard winters. Breeding occurs intermittently in the Faroe Islands. The Goldcrest is partly migratory with northernmost populations deserting their breeding areas in winter. Birds winter in Europe and Asia south of the breeding range.
The Goldcrest breeds at considerable densities in mature lowland and mountain coniferous woodlands, mainly up to 9,800 feet, and occasionally to 15,700 feet. It uses Spruce, Larch, Scots Pine, Silver Fir and Mountain Pine and in man-made landscapes it also uses introduced conifers such as Douglas Fir. Broad-leaved woods are used only when some coniferous trees are also present and sites such as gardens, parks and cemeteries are used only when they offer suitable conifers that are not otherwise locally available. Unlike more specialised birds such as the Nuthatch and the Treecreeper, both of which forage on tree trunks, the Goldcrest does not need large woodlands and population density is not related to woodland size. Once the breeding season is over, the Goldcrest will readily move into deciduous trees and shrubs, heathland and similar more open habitats.
The Goldcrest is a monogamous species. The male sings during the breeding season, usually while foraging rather than from a perch. It has a display involving bowing its head towards another bird and raising the coloured crest.
The nest, constructed by both sexes, is a well-insulated cup-shaped structure built in 3 layers and often suspended from a hanging branch. The outer layer is made from moss, small twigs, cobwebs and lichen, the cobwebs also being used to attach the nest to the thin branches that support it. The middle layer is moss which is lined by an inner layer of feathers and hair. Egg laying starts at the end of April into early May with 9 to 11 eggs laid but ranging from 6 to 13. Second clutches, which are common, are laid usually while the first nest still has young. The male generally builds the second nest, then feeds the young in the first nest while the female is incubating in the second. When the first brood has fledged, the male joins the female in feeding the second brood. The female incubates the eggs for 16 to 19 days to hatching and she also broods the chicks which fledge in a further 17 to 22 days later. Both parents feed the chicks and fledged young.
The Goldcrest becomes sexually mature after 1 year and it has an annual adult mortality of over 80% giving a life expectancy of around 8 months which is one of the shortest for any bird. There are nonetheless records of an individual surviving to 4 years 10 months and even a report of a bird ringed in Winchester in 1989 and found dead in Morocco 7 years and 7 months later.
The Goldcrest feeds in trees, frequently foraging on the undersides of branches and leaves. It is almost exclusively insectivorous and takes a wide variety of prey, especially spiders, caterpillars, bugs, springtails and flies. Flying insects are taken in hovering flight but are not normally pursued. Non-animal food is rare although the Goldcrest has been seen drinking sap from broken birch twigs together with other birds.
Outside the breeding season, small groups of Goldcrests maintain exclusive winter feeding territories which they defend against neighbouring groups. As they roam around their territory, they frequently join loose flocks of other wanderers such as tits and warblers. In some areas, wintering birds have developed the habit of coming to feeding stations and bird tables to take fat, sometimes with warblers such as the Chiffchaff and the Blackcap.
The Goldcrest has a very large range and a very large population and it is therefore classed as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List. There was some northward range expansion in Scotland, Belgium, Norway, and Finland during the 20th century, assisted by the spread of conifer plantations. The population is currently stable although there may be temporary marked and heavy declines in harsh winters. However, populations can recover and expand rapidly after a series of mild winters.
Date: 18th January 2023
Location: Laindon, Essex
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