Goldcrest

Männchen (CC BY 2.0) Fyn Kynd Photography

Short Description

The goldcrest is a very small bird with a striking crown stripe of contrasting colour. Its upper parts are olive-green to yellow-green, its underparts grey-white to grey-green. Its wings are olive-brown with brownish flight feathers and have a whitish wing bar.

In males, the crown stripe has a yellow border.

The crown stripe in females is completely yellow or yellow-green.

Features

Goldcrest

Regulus regulus

crown stripe of contrasting colour

Gesang

Conrads, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Similar species

Common firecrest

Regulus ignicapilla

The firecrest is most easily identified by its white supercilium (plumage on the head) and its obvious black eye stripe. The sides of its neck are more distinctly green-yellow than in the goldcrest.

Weibchen (CC BY-SA 3.0) Francis C. Franklin

In the city

Goldcrests can be found in parks, gardens and cemeteries with old spruces.

They are not very shy, but generally keep hidden, high up in old spruce trees.

Fun Facts

Goldcrests and firecrests are the smallest and lightest European birds.
It can be seen in Germany all year round.
Endangerment level Germany: not endangered

Sources

Männchen, Fyn Kynd Photography, CC BY 2.0, http://species-id.net/openmedia/File:Regulus_regulus_male_Fyn_Kynd_Photography.jpg

Weibchen, Francis C. Franklin, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goldcrest_1.jpg

Männchen, Ken Billington, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goldcrest_(Regulus_regulus)_(7).jpg

Page „Wintergoldhähnchen“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 29.06.2015, 09:34 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wintergoldh%C3%A4hnchen&oldid=143574499 (Accessed: 18.02.2016).

Artenfinder (2016) Regulus regulus (Wintergoldhähnchen), URL: https://arteninfo.net/elearning/voegel/speciesportrait/3111 (Accessed: 24.04.2016).

Schweizerische Vogelwarte Sempach (n.d.) Wintergoldhähnchen - Regulus regulus, URL: http://www.vogelwarte.ch/wintergoldhaehnchen.html (Accessed: 09.09.2016).

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (2018) Goldcrest. Regulus regulus, URL: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22734997/0 (Accessed: 09.09.2016).

Witt, K. & Steiof, K. (2013) Rote Liste und Liste der Brutvögel von Berlin, 3. version, 15.11.2013. : Berliner Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V. (eds.) Berliner Ornithologischer Bericht, volume 23, Berlin: Berliner Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V., 1-23.