Goldcrest Identification
What I look like
The Goldcrest is the smallest bird in Europe, much smaller than a Blue Tit.
It has a yellow stripe on its head bordered with black, with a yellow-orange center in males.
The female has only a yellow band bordered with black on the head.
Its beak is long and thin, and black.
The upper body is greenish-grey.
The underside is light grey-beige.
It has a double white wing bar.
My songs, my calls
The Goldcrest is so small and often high up that it is better identified by its song.
Its song is very high-pitched, rhythmic, ending with a little warble.
However, its song is so high-pitched that it can sometimes be hard to hear in the forest.
Its calls are very fine and shrill "tsih-tsih"
How I behave
The Goldcrest is always in motion, performing acrobatics at the tops of trees.
It hangs at the ends of branches to find insects.
It is constantly active in its search for food as it needs to eat its body weight to survive.
In autumn and winter, it often joins tits.
It may occasionally come to the feeder, if it is near a coniferous wood.
How I reproduce
The breeding season of the Goldcrest extends from March to August.
It produces 2 broods per year of 7 to 10 beige eggs with light brown spots.
It nests in spruces.
Its nest is a ball of moss.
What I eat
The Goldcrest feeds on insects, larvae, and spiders.
Its fine beak allows it to probe into conifer needles.
It may come to the feeder in winter to feed on suet.
Where to find me
The Goldcrest lives in coniferous forests and in parks and gardens with old coniferous trees.
It is a sedentary or short-distance migratory species.