Five facts you should know about goldcrests

Five facts you should know about goldcrests

Goldcrests are relatively common in Scotland with something like 750,000 individuals nesting here, and up to three million covering the country as far north as Shetland in winter. They’re hyperactive little birds that always seem to be on the move, flitting through woodland, feeding on small insects and seeds. You may have even seen them in your garden or local park. So it might be that you’re already familiar with this species, but we’re hoping we can still teach you a thing or two about the gorgeous goldcrest.

Goldcrests are Scotland’s smallest bird

Goldcrests are tiny. They are Scotland’s smallest bird, and are regarded as the smallest in the whole of Europe too. They only weigh, at most, about 6.5g which is the equivalent of holding a single 10 pence piece in your palm! But for such a minute species, goldcrests can be remarkably resilient and are one of the lightest birds in the world to migrate across the sea – moving from northern Europe to the UK in winter.

There’s something missing in the young’uns

The plumage of a goldcrest is a lovely grey-green colour; they have a white wing bar, big beady black eyes and a pale, round belly. Their most prominent feature though, is the thick black and yellow stripe down the centre of their heads. However, this ‘crown’ or ‘crest’ as its known is completely absent in juveniles. 

Males pull out all the stops to attract the ladies...

Pairs of goldcrests tend to be monogamous, but the males do have to put in effort before a female will decide to ‘settle down’. During displays the males raise the colourful crests atop their head, shaking and jiggling it around with pride while performing excited, sort of jerky movements in an attempt to attract a mate. Once they’ve paired up, the male will also help build the nest – a pretty cup of moss and feathers suspended between branches like a little hammock.

For some, goldcrests are hard to hear

When in a group, goldcrests will call to one another to help keep all of the members together. Their call is very high-pitched, so high-pitched in fact that some people may not even be able to hear it. Your senses will have to be up to scratch to home in on these little beauties in the wild!

And they might be sneakier than they seem...

During migration these birds will move to the east coast of Scotland during autumn, which happens to be at a similar time to woodcocks. Years ago, this coincidence in timing gave rise to the nickname ‘woodcock pilot’ for the goldcrest. And, as the story goes, goldcrests would simply hitch a ride across the sea sneakily snuggled in the woodcock’s plumage. In the past, some people had even claimed to have seen goldcrests emerging from the feathers of woodcocks once they’d safely arrived in the UK! But we’ll leave that one up to you to judge...