Editing Common firecrest (section)

== Status ==

The common firecrest expanded its range in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,<ref name = Boev/> colonising northern France, followed by first breeding in the Netherlands in 1928 and Denmark in 1961.<ref name=BWP/> In Britain, it had only been recorded a handful of times by 1839,<ref name= Macgillivray >{{cite book | last = Macgillivray | first = William | title = A History of British Birds, Indigenous and Migratory: Volume 2. Cantatores, songsters | year = 1839| location = London |publisher = Scott, Webster, and Geary  |page = 417}}</ref> but first bred in 1962,<ref name=BWP/> and is now widespread as a breeding bird in much of southern England.<ref name = BTO/> Milder winters have meant that more birds can winter further north, and therefore the breeding range can expand without incurring the risks involved in lengthy migrations.<ref name= fielder>Fiedler, Wolfgang (2003) "Recent changes in migratory behaviour of birds: a compilation of field observations and ringing data" pp. 21&ndash;29 in {{cite book | editor1-last = Berthold | editor1-first = Peter | editor2-last= Gwinner|editor2-first=Eberhard|editor3-last=Sonnenschein|editor3-first=Edith | title = Avian migration  | year = 2003 | location = Heidelberg | publisher = Springer-Verlag | isbn = 978-3-540-43408-5  }}</ref> A population was found in northern Morocco in 1986.<ref name=BWP/>

Population growth may be limited by lack of suitable habitat, and there may be local declines due to loss of conifers through storms or replacement by plantations of native deciduous trees.<ref name=Hustings>{{cite journal | last= Hustings | first= Fred | year= 2002 | title= Broedende Vuurgoudhanen ''Regulus ignicapillus'' in Nederland: hoe het verder ging | journal= Limosa | volume= 75 | pages= 85–90 | url= http://www.sovon.nl/pdf/LIM-75_3-02-hustings.pdf | language= nl | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110718073357/http://www.sovon.nl/pdf/LIM-75_3-02-hustings.pdf | archive-date= 2011-07-18 }}</ref> There may also be localised losses in areas of high [[heavy metal (chemistry)|heavy metal]] pollution, which particularly affects ground feeders like [[thrush (bird)|thrushes]] and conifer foliage gleaners, including both European ''Regulus'' species. Conifer specialists suffer from the loss and poor quality of needles, and the consequent decrease in abundance of their [[invertebrate]] food.<ref>{{cite journal | last= Eeva | first= Tapio | author2= Koivunen, Vesa | author3= Hakkarainen, Harri | year= 2002 | title= Population densities of forest birds in a heavy metal pollution gradient | journal= Avian Science | volume= 2 | pages= 1–10 | url= http://www.sci.utu.fi/biologia/tutkimus/projektit/malliprojekti/AS_density_2002.PDF | access-date= 2010-10-28 | archive-date= 2012-03-14 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120314093118/http://www.sci.utu.fi/biologia/tutkimus/projektit/malliprojekti/AS_density_2002.PDF | url-status= dead }}</ref> The common firecrest has a large range and a population estimated at 10–15&nbsp;million individuals, most in Europe. The population is believed to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or serious threats, and it is therefore classed as [[least concern]] on the [[IUCN Red List]].<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />