Common Goldcrest --- Birds

Regulus regulus

A fine, high- pitched call that sounds like “see see see” signals the presence of a goldcrest. The goldcrest is easier to hear than to see. Although the male has a red- orange crown on its head and the female, a yellow one, its overall olive-green colour blends well with the spruces in which it lives. It eats aphids or other insects living in the trees. Its also eats moth and butterfly eggs as well their cocoons. But the goldcrest lives in the spruce forest for another reason. In the winter, the trees ‘leaves provide shelter against rain or snow.

During the mating season, the female builds, her nest, with help from the male. The nest is a deep bowl made of moss and lichen which the female attaches to a tree branch with a silk from spiderwebs. Inside, it is lined with down feathers and moss. In April the female lays 6 to 10 tiny eggs. They weigh less than a tenth of an ounce each. The young hatch blind and open their eyes a week later. During the 15 to 17 days they stay in the nest, they are well cared for by their parents. A second group of chicks arrives in July.

The goldcrest and its cousin, the firecrest, are the smallest European birds. When you are lucky enough to see these 2 small birds, you can tell them apart because the firecrest has a black mask across its eyes and its white brows. Otherwise these birds are very much alike.

CLASS: Birds

ORDER: Perching birds

FAMILY: Old world warblers

LENGTH: 3 to 4 inches

DIET: insect

NUMBER OF EGGS: 6 to 10

HOME: Eurrasia