Appearance:

Smallest bird of Western Palearctic. Crown stripe yellow in female, orange in male. Since bird is often viewed from below, the crown stripe is often not visible. The dark eye with the large, pale grey eye-ring is a better character. Pale wingbars and pale tips of tertials. No supercilium. Behaviour essentially tit-like. Restlessly moving among branches in treetops, with frequent hovering to get at insects.

Sound:

Contact call a very high pitched "zit zit zit", only similar to Firecrest and treecreepers. Treecreepers usually calls with longer "zzzziiiiit" repeated at regular intervals, while Goldcrest calls in phrases with two to four calls in series in an uneven rhythm. Firecrest contact calls lower pitched than Goldcrest, and in a softer tone (but quite similar). Song: a very high-pitched, undulating series of arpeggiated notes moving down and up again, repeated 4-5 times ending with a marked "conclusion" (like "trying to start a tiny motor and failing"). Timbre of song similar to contact call.

Song:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Appearance:

Rufous red face, throat and chest, framed in slate grey in adults of both sexes. Olive brown to grey upperparts and dull white underparts. Head rather large, and body rather stocky when plumage puffed, despite thin bill and slender legs. Juveniles lack the red front and are heavily spotted in buff on a dark brown body with barred chest. Adults pretty unmistakable when seen well. Flight usually low and darting, with quick changes of directions before disappearing in thick bushes. Posture usually erect with frequent flicking of tail and wings.

Sound:

Alarm call a thin, electric "tick", often in series with decelerating tempo. Song medium to very high pitched, with mostly clear tones with a liquid quality. Timbre reminiscent of Wren or Dunnock, but with a much more varied structure and tempo. Pitch ranges from very high to low, almost thrush-like, notes. No recognizable motifs. Often ends on a rising or falling pitch, giving it a "Chinese" accent.

Song:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC