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Goldcrest - Regulus regulus
The Goldcrest is Europe's smallest bird, weighing just 5 grams. It is dull green above and buff white below with a distinctive head crown. The crown has black sides and and a bright central crest, orange in the male and yellow in the female, which is displayed during breeding.
It is a widespread species, closely associated with coniferous forest. Also found in broadleaved woodland and parks but usually where there are coniferous trees nearby.
All year round.
Despite being the smallest warbler, it stays in the UK through the winter, searching out tiny insects and spiders amongst pine cones and the needle leaves of conifers. In winter it will join with flocks of tits and other woodland species. Nesting commences in late April and the nest is an intricate hammock-like structure.
In the UK it occurs widely save for in treeless areas such as in the Fens and in northern Scotland.
Fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland, though most records are from the western half of the region
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015
UK Map
Species profile
- Common names
- Goldcrest, Continental Goldcrest
- Species group:
- Birds
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
- Order:
- Passeriformes
- Family:
- Regulidae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 487
- First record:
- 29/01/1994 (Ian Retson)
- Last record:
- 18/03/2024 (Gaten, Ted)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
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