Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)

OTHER NAMES: Woodcock Pilot, Thumb bird, Golden Cutty
Latin Etymology: Regulus ("Kinglet/Prince") regulus ("Kinglet/Prince")

Adult Goldcrest (subspecies R. r. regulus) in Geddington, Northants - October 2010

Featured Subspecies: Regulus regulus regulus
Weight: 6.5g  /  Length: 8.5-9.5cm  /  Wingspan: 12.5-15.5cm

UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List - Least Concern

An attractive little bird, the goldcrest's main claim to fame is that it's the smallest bird in Europe. This brings with it some problems in photographing them - they are small, flit in and out of cover and manually focusing cameras don't like picking them up unless you have them in a clear field of view. They are however very widely spread, and numerous if you know where to look and it seems they can be found anywhere with a passable number of trees - particularly conifers. Parks with established trees are probably the best bet.

Related Species: 
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Regulidae
Genus: Regulus
Subspecies: R. r. regulus, R. r. azoricus, R. r. sanctaemariae, R. r. inermis, R. r. teneriffae, R. r. ellenthalerae, R. r. buturlini, R. r. hyrcanus, R. r. coatsi, R. r. tristis, R. r. himalayensis, R. r. sikkimensis, R. r. japonensis, R. r. yunnanensis   

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Fairly common breeding species (610,000 territories) and common Winter Visitor (3-5 million birds)

 - Most birds seen in Geddington though odd birds elsewhere..         

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto