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Goldcrest
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== Description == The goldcrest is the smallest European bird, {{convert|8.5|β|9.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length,<ref name= Mullarney/> with a {{convert|13.5|β|15.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} wingspan and a weight of {{convert|4.5|β|7.0|g|oz|abbr=on}}. It is similar in appearance to a [[warbler]], with olive-green upper-parts, buff-white underparts, two white wing bars, and a plain face with conspicuous black [[Iris (anatomy)|irises]]. The crown of the head has black sides and a narrow black front, and a bright crest, yellow with an orange centre in the male, and entirely yellow in the female;<ref name=BWP/><ref>{{cite journal|title= Age determination of Goldcrests ''Regulus regulus'' (L.) in summer and early autumn| last= Hogstad| first=Olav|journal= Ornis Scandinavica| volume=2| issue=1| year=1971| pages=1β3|doi= 10.2307/3676233| jstor= 3676233}}</ref> the crest is erected in display, making the distinctive orange stripe of the male much more conspicuous.<ref name= Simms/> The small, thin bill is black, and the legs are dark flesh-brown. Apart from the crest colour, the sexes are alike, although in fresh plumage, the female may have very slightly paler upper-parts and greyer underparts than the adult male. The juvenile is similar to the adult, but has duller upper-parts and lacks the coloured crown. Although the tail and [[flight feather]]s may be retained into the first winter, by then the young birds are almost indistinguishable from adults in the field.<ref name= Baker/> The flight is distinctive; it consists of whirring wing-beats with occasional sudden changes of direction. Shorter flights while feeding are a mix of dashing and fluttering with frequent hovering. It moves restlessly among foliage, regularly creeping on branches and up and down trunks.<ref name=BWP>{{cite book | editor1-last = Snow | editor1-first = David |editor2-last = Perrins | editor2-first=Christopher M | title = The Birds of the Western Palearctic concise edition (2 volumes) | publisher = Oxford University Press |year = 1998| location = Oxford | pages = 1342β1346 | isbn = 978-0-19-850188-6}}</ref> === Identification === [[File:Regulus regulus -Auderghem, Brussels -head-8.jpg|thumb|The nominate subspecies, ''R. r. regulus'', in Belgium. The goldcrest has a bright crest and a relatively plain face. The orange tinge of the hindcrown indicates that this is a male.]] The goldcrest is usually easily distinguished from other small birds in its range, but poor views could possibly lead to confusion with the [[common firecrest]] or [[yellow-browed warbler]].<ref>{{cite journal | last= Catley | first= G |date=September 1992| title= Identification pitfalls and assessment problems | journal= [[British Birds (magazine)|British Birds]] | volume= 85 | pages= 490β494 }}</ref> The adult common firecrest has a distinguishing face pattern showing a bright white [[supercilium]] (eyebrow) and black eye-stripe, and the juvenile usually shows enough of this face pattern to be readily distinguished from the plain-faced goldcrest. The yellow-browed warbler has a yellowish supercilium and pale crown stripe, so also shows a different head pattern. The [[ruby-crowned kinglet]], an American ''Regulus'' species and a potential vagrant in Europe, could be more difficult to distinguish. It has a plain face like its Old World cousin, but the male has a red crest without any yellow or a black border. Female and juvenile ruby-crowned kinglets lack the ruby-red crown patch, but compared with the similarly crestless juvenile goldcrest, the American bird is larger in size, has an obvious whitish eyering, and yellowish wing bars.<ref name= Baker/>
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