Very small passerine bird from Europe and northwest Africa
Common firecrest
Male of nominate subspecies in France
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Passeriformes
Family:
Regulidae
Genus:
Regulus
Species:
R. ignicapilla
Binomial name
Regulus ignicapilla
(Temminck, 1820)
Range of R. ignicapilla
Breeding
Resident
Non-breeding
The common firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla), also known as the firecrest, is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. It breeds in most of temperate Europe and northwestern Africa, and is partially migratory, with birds from central Europe wintering to the south and west of their breeding range. Firecrests in the Balearic Islands and north Africa are widely recognised as a separate subspecies, but the population on Madeira, previously also treated as a subspecies, is now treated as a distinct species, the Madeira firecrest, Regulus madeirensis. A fossil ancestor of the firecrest has been identified from a single wing bone.
This kinglet is greenish above and has whitish underparts. It has two white wingbars, a black eye stripe and a white supercilium. The head crest, orange in the male and yellow in the female, is displayed during breeding, and gives rise to the English and scientific names for the species. This bird superficially resembles the goldcrest, which largely shares its European range, but the firecrest's bronze shoulders and strong face pattern are distinctive. The song is a repetition of high thin notes, slightly lower-pitched than those of its relative.
The common firecrest breeds in broadleaved or coniferous woodland and gardens, building its compact, three-layered nest on a tree branch. Seven to twelve eggs are incubated by the female alone. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge 22–24 days after hatching. This kinglet is constantly on the move and frequently hovers as it searches for insects to eat, and in winter it is often found with flocks of tits. Despite some possible local declines, the species is not the subject of significant conservation concerns owing to its large European population and an expansion of its range over the last century. It may be hunted and killed by birds of prey, and can carry parasites. It is possible that this species was the original "king of the birds" in European folklore.
^BirdLife International (2016). "Regulus ignicapilla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22735002A87781502. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22735002A87781502.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
The commonfirecrest (Regulus ignicapilla), also known as the firecrest, is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. It breeds in most of temperate...
separate species in 2003, it was classified as a subspecies of the commonfirecrest. It differs in appearance and vocalisations from its relative, and...
which is displayed during breeding. It superficially resembles the commonfirecrest (Regulus ignicapilla), which largely shares its European range, but...
Look up firecrest in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Firecrest can refer to: Commonfirecrest (often called firecrest), Regulus ignicapillus, found in...
emerald dove CommonfirecrestCommon flameback Common gallinule Common goldeneye Common grackle Common grasshopper warbler Common green magpie Common greenshank...
species in this family; one, the Madeira firecrest, Regulus madeirensis, was only recently split from commonfirecrest as a separate species. One species,...
world. In Europe, kinglets are commonly known as "wrens", with the commonfirecrest and goldcrest known as the "fire-crested wren" and "golden-crested...
Common buzzard Buteo buteo Common chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Common chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita Common cuckoo Cuculus canorus Commonfirecrest...
Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus); in the summer commonfirecrest (Regulus ignicapillus); common buzzard (Buteo buteo) (occasional visitor). The forest...
insectivorous passerine birds. They mainly occur as breeding species, as another common name (Old World warblers) implies, in Europe, Asia, and, to a lesser extent...
because they also resemble the titmice. Goldcrest, Regulus regulus Commonfirecrest, Regulus ignicapilla Order: Passeriformes Family: Tichodromidae The...
because they also resemble the titmice. Goldcrest, Regulus regulus Commonfirecrest, Regulus ignicapilla (A) Order: Passeriformes Family: Tichodromidae...
because they also resemble the titmice. Goldcrest, Regulus regulus Commonfirecrest, Regulus ignicapilla Order: Passeriformes Family: Tichodromidae The...
because they also resemble the titmice. Goldcrest, Regulus regulus Commonfirecrest, Regulus ignicapilla (A) Order: Passeriformes Family: Tichodromidae...
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