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The goldcrest (Scientific name: Regulus regulus), a tiny passerine bird from the kinglet family, may be found in gardens, parks and woodland. With a wingspan of just five-and-a-half inches and a weight of just 6 g (the equivalent of a small coin), it is the smallest bird in Europe. Despite a lack of distinctive characteristics, the goldcrest is well-known for its unique tuft of fiery orange hair (for males) or brilliant yellow (for females) along the top of its head. This little streak is deployed by males during mating displays, made more prominent in a bid to attract a female mate. This small difference in colour and behaviour appears to be the only distinctive difference between male and female goldcrests. It is also, of course, the feature that gives the kinglet bird its name.
Goldcrests are constantly on the move, hunting for spiders, insects, caterpillars and moths. The bird will fly onto tree branches, often hanging upside down to pick its food from the underside of the branches. Coniferous woodland and locations with large mature trees are their favourites, particularly outside of the UK where they can be found thousands of feet above sea level in the Himalayas or on islands over the Sea of Japan.
Their beaks are thin and pointed, with which they can pick out insects from dense foliage.
Despite its small size, it can lay up to twelve eggs at one time; equivalent to one-and-a-half times its own body weight. After mating, the female bird will build a round nest made from spider’s webs, hair, lichen (a mixture of fungus and algae) and moss. This typically occurs in April. It then takes around 18 days for the baby goldcrest to become a fledgling.
Goldcrests are prolific breeders, with the ability to produce up to twenty chicks per year. They can also begin a second clutch before their first set of chicks have fully fledged. Goldcrests’ eggs are noticeable for their tiny size and smooth, non-glossy texture, which is white with brown dots. Goldcrests are monogamous, in spite of their ability to breed quickly and frequently.
The UK has a huge population of goldcrests, estimated to be 600,000. This can swell to up to five million in the winter, when migrant birds from Scandanavia settle up and down the country. Winter is therefore the most common time to see goldcrests. Goldcrests join groups of tits and warblers hunting in flocks.
The season can be tough on the bird population. One Finnish study saw just one-tenth of the goldcrest population survive the winter, although the birds have a remarkable ability to bounce back to normal population numbers rather quickly. They are at risk of hypothermia which can be combatted through metabolising fat and protein from daytime food sources, collective roosting (which can reduce the birds’ heat loss by up to one-third) and by sleeping in dense foliage.
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