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Common Firecrest
(Regulus ignicapillus)
: "Firecrest"
 German name(s): "Sommergoldhähnchen"
Size: 9 cm; wing span 13-16 cm
Weight: 4-7 g
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Common Firecrests are the smallest European bird species.
Their plumage is
dimorphic, i.e.
males and
females
are slightly different.
Male Common Firecrests
have a dark-yellow frons and chin/throat. The sides of the head
are dominated by broad white supercilia. Below a thin black eye-stripe
they have another small white semi-annular patch.
Behind this white-black-white mask they have a narrow grey patch
and a brighter olive-yellow patch on the ear coverts. The crown
is marked by a prominent orange central stripe, with a bold
black stripe on either side of it.
The front is yellowish-grey while the upperparts are olive-grey.
The folded wings show prominent white and black bars, with
yellowish edge lining on the flight feathers.
Instead of an orange central stripe on the crown,
females
have a yellow one.
Otherwise the two sexes are identical.
The irises are dark. The narrow straight bill is black, while
the legs and feet are greyish-orange.
Juveniles
resemble
adults,
but without black and yellow/orange head markings.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Common
Firecrest at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the
ebird.org
website.
The global distribution of the Common Firecrest is available
HERE
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There are two extant races of Common Firecrests, which are a
partly sedentary, partly migratory Eurasian species.
Their overall range is limited to parts of Europe, the north-western
coastal fringe of Africa, parts of Asia Minor and the Black Sea
coastal fringe.
Race "balearicus" is present only on the Balearic Islands and
in north-western near-coastal Africa; the rest of the range is
occupied by nominal race
ignicapillus".
In Europe, Common Firecrests, race "ignicapillus",
are sedentary in northern Iberia and in western to central
Europe, westward of the river Rhine and the Alps, including
a narrow strip in southern England. They are also found all
year round on the western Mediterranean islands, in northern
Sicily, on Crete, in western Italy and along the Balkans,
as well as the High Tatras, while in the rest of southern
and south-eastern Europe they are winter visitors. Also in
southern England and Wales they disperse somewhat during the
winter.
In eastern Europe, from the river Rhine and the Alps to
about Slovenia and Lithuania, Common Firecrests are summer
breeding migrants.
There are small permanent populations in two areas on the
North coast of the Black Sea as well.
Common Firecrests have a preference for forests and woodland
with deciduous, coniferous or mixed growth (in Iberia often
found in cork oak). For foraging they like to have dense
undergrowth, but they nest in conifers.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "ignicapillus"
J. Pires reports spotting Common Firecrests,
nominate race
"ignicapillus",
in Trafaria, Almada, Portugal, in February 2014, in Mora, Evora,
Portugal, in October 2015, and in Montargil, Alentejo, Portugal, in
March 2016.
S. Cuturilov reports that a Common Firecrest, nominate race
"ignicapillus",
was caught, ringed and released at Vlasina Lake, Serbia, in October 2019.
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Photos |
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Race "ignicapillus"
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ADULT |
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FEMALE |
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Frontal view of a female(?) Common Firecrest
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Trafaria, Almada, Portugal, February 2014]
Near-frontal view of a female(?) Common Firecrest launching
itself into the air
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Trafaria, Almada, Portugal, February 2014]
Near-lateral/ventral view of a female(?) Common Firecrest
launching itself into the air
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Trafaria, Almada, Portugal, February 2014]
Lateral view of a female(?) Common Firecrest
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Trafaria, Almada, Portugal, February 2014]
Lateral view of a female(?) Common Firecrest
(photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Vlasina Lake, Serbia, October 2019]
Near-lateral view of a moulting female(?) Common Firecrest
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2015]
Lateral view of a moulting female(?) Common Firecrest;
note the yellow stripe on the head
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2015]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
