Goldcrest

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.