Goldcrest
Regulus regulus
Fuglekongen er med en længde på blot cirka 9 centimeter Europas mindste fugl. Fuglekongen lever i det meste af den tempererede del af Europa og Asien.
Europe’s smallest bird, 8.5–9.5 cm, olive-green above and buff-white below, with two white wingbars. The face is entirely plain, so the big dark eye stands out, and the crown carries a glowing central stripe.
Can be confused with
- Firecrest — Firecrest has a bright white supercilium and a black eye-stripe plus bronze shoulders; the Goldcrest’s face is completely plain. The Firecrest forages on the upper surfaces of branches, the Goldcrest underneath.
Plumage and variation
Male and female: The male’s crown is orange-centred within a yellow rim; the female’s is entirely yellow. The crest is raised in display.
Juvenile: Juvenile is duller above and lacks the coloured crown altogether; from its first winter it is almost indistinguishable from adults in the field.
Voice
The contact call is a thin, very high "zee" at 1–4 second intervals. The song is a repeated, high, thin "cedar-cedar-cedar" running its course in 3–4 seconds.
Behaviour
Constantly on the move hunting insects; hovers while foraging and works the undersides of branches, creeping along boughs and up and down trunks. Flight is whirring with sudden changes of direction. Tied to conifers, and in winter often with flocks of tits.
Facts
Wingspan
14 cm
Conservation status
ikke truet
Relatives
Family
kinglets
Regulidae
Order
passerines
Passeriformes
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