Editing Common firecrest (section)

{{short description|Very small passerine bird from Europe and northwest Africa}}
{{Speciesbox
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Regulus ignicapilla'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T22735002A87781502 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22735002A87781502.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| image = Common firecrest Franconville 03.jpg
| image_upright = 1.1
| image_caption = Male of [[Subspecies#Nomenclature|nominate subspecies]]  in [[France]]
| taxon = Regulus ignicapilla
| authority = ([[Coenraad Jacob Temminck|Temminck]], 1820)
| range_map = RegulusIgnicapillaIUCN.svg
| range_map_upright = 1.1
| range_map_caption = Range of ''R. ignicapilla''{{leftlegend|#00FF00|Breeding|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#008000|Resident|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#007FFF|Non-breeding|outline=gray}} 
}}

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 [[Temperateness|temperate]] Europe and northwestern Africa, and is partially [[bird migration|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 [[display (zoology)|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 [[Bird vocalization|song]] is a repetition of high thin notes, slightly lower-pitched than those of its relative.

The common firecrest breeds in [[Flowering plant|broadleaved]] or [[pinophyta|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 [[tit (bird)|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 [[Bird of prey|birds of prey]], and can carry parasites. It is possible that this species was the original "king of the birds" in European folklore.