Kinglets · Perching birds
Goldcrest
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Regulus regulus
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Voice
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
Song
Jochem verweij
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
How to recognize it
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Tiny, round-bodied; short tail, large head
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Olive-green upperparts, pale greyish underparts, two white wingbars
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Yellow crown stripe with black edges; male shows an orange center
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Restless in foliage; thin very high call, repeated high notes
About the species
Goldcrest is a tiny, restless canopy dweller, easy to miss unless you catch the bright little crown on its head. More often, you notice it by the way it flicks through fine branches and never seems to stay still for long.
It moves with quick hops, short flights, and brief hovering pauses, and it can even work along twigs upside down. Its call is thin and very high, and the song comes as a short, repeated burst that carries well even when the little mover stays hidden.
It breeds in conifer woods and in parks or gardens with suitable evergreens, and outside the breeding season it also uses more open places like shrubs and deciduous trees. It feeds mostly on small insects and other tiny prey, especially spiders, aphids, and caterpillars, and in winter it often wanders in mixed flocks with tits.
Where to find
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In old spruce corners of city parks — high in the canopy, where Goldcrest flicks nonstop along the outer twigs and gives a thin, high call.
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By pond edges and canal banks with nearby spruces — on branches over the water, especially when it darts to the tips of twigs hunting tiny insects.
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In quiet cemeteries and large gardens with mature conifers — where the tiny crown flashes among the needles and the movements stay restless in the treetops.
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In winter mixed flocks with tits — on spruces near residential blocks, as it forages in the top layer and may briefly visit suet feeders.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Regulus regulus Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Goldcrest Encyclopedia article