Page 339 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WARBLERS AND ALLIES
Order Passeriformes Family Sylviidae Species Regulus regulus
Goldcrest

dull to bright black stripe with yellow
neckless shape olive-green centre on crown (plain
plumage grey-green on juvenile)
broad white
“V”-shaped whitish
bar on wings around eye

blackish
wings
ADULT
ADULT
IN FLIGHT
urope’s smallest bird, the
EGoldcrest may sometimes
be watched almost at arm’s
length as it feeds in lower branches buff to
of trees. It isn’t so much bold or tame greenish
as simply oblivious to the presence of underside
people: it generally ignores humans.The
Goldcrest’s succession of high-pitched, needle-
thin but emphatic calls is a feature of many
coniferous forests.The song is equally thin but remarkably ADULT
penetrating, even audible from a fast-passing car. In winter,
Goldcrests forage in a variety of places, including hedges, low
thickets, and even clumps of gorse or brambles. FLIGHT: quick, flitting; weak-looking whirr.
VOICE Call high, thin, sibilant but
emphasized see-see-seee; song high,
fast, rhythmic phrase with
terminal flourish, complex at close
range, at distance seedli-ee seedli-ee
seedli-ee seedli-ee seedli-i-didl-eeoo.
NESTING Tiny cup of cobwebs,
moss, and lichens, slung beneath
branch; 7 or 8 eggs; 2 broods;
April–July.
FEEDING Picks tiny insects, PIERCING SONG
spiders, and insect eggs from The high-pitched song of the Goldcrest penetrates the noise
foliage, often hovering briefly. of wind in the trees, and even land traffic noise.
OCCURRENCE
SIMILAR SPECIES Breeds in most of Europe except
Iceland, extreme N Scandinavia,
FIRECREST white stripe plain head and much of Mediterranean
see p.312 over eye larger
Europe. Present all year round in
plain mixed and coniferous woodland,
wings parks, and large wooded gardens;
brighter coastal migrants can be in very
plain wings low scrub.
WILLOW WARBLER CHIFFCHAFF Seen in the UK
see p.307 see p.310 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 8.5–9cm (3 1 ⁄4 –3 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 13–15.5cm (5–6in) Weight 5–7g ( 3 ⁄16 – 1 ⁄4oz)
Social Solitary Lifespan 2–3 years Status Secure†
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