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Birds · Passeriformes · Regulidae

Goldcrest

Regulus regulus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The goldcrest is the smallest bird in Europe: it weighs about six grams, less than a small coin. It is olive green with a yellow or orange crown stripe bordered in black. It lives in coniferous woodland, where it moves tirelessly along the thinnest branches looking for tiny insects. In Spain it is common in mountain pine and fir woods.

Weight

5 g – 7 g

Size

8 cm – 10 cm

Lifespan

7 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Fun facts

  • comportamientoIt is one of the smallest birds in Europe and yet, for all its size, some populations migrate hundreds of kilometres, crossing even the North Sea.
  • It is the smallest bird in Europe, at about six grams, and even so it breeds in forests where winter drops below twenty degrees under zero: to survive the night it has to eat almost its own weight in insects every day.
  • It lays up to eleven eggs in a clutch, one of the largest of any European passerine, in a hanging nest of moss and cobweb the size of a golf ball.
  • In winter it sleeps huddled with other goldcrests in a tight ball among the branches, sharing body heat to survive the coldest nights.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type
Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment
Coniferous woodland, fir and pine woods and parks with conifers of Europe and Asia
Birth weight
Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
Size at birth
Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
Sexual maturity
12 months
Gestation / incubation
16 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size
9 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulus_regulus

Where to watch it

Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 210 documentados.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Goldcrest — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about goldcrest.

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