Editing Common firecrest (section)

=== Feeding ===

[[File:Orchesella cincta.jpg|upright|thumb|Firecrest parents mainly feed young chicks during their first four days of life with [[springtail]]s (average length 4&nbsp;mm) after which time larger food items are given as the chicks grow.]]
All species of kinglet are almost exclusively [[insectivore|insectivorous]], preying on small [[arthropod]]s with soft [[cuticle]]s, such as [[springtail]]s, [[aphid]]s and spiders. They also feed on the [[Pupa#Cocoon|cocoon]]s and eggs of spiders and insects, and occasionally take pollen. All species will hover to catch flying insects. Although the similarly sized firecrest and goldcrest are often found together, there are a number of factors that reduce direct competition for food. Common firecrests prefer larger prey than goldcrests. Although both will take trapped insects from spider webs on autumn migration, firecrests will also eat the large [[orb-weaver spider|orb-web spider]]s (on rare occasions kinglets have been found stuck in a spider web, either unable to move or dead).<ref name = hbw/>

The common firecrest feeds in trees, exploiting mainly the upper surface of branches in [[pinophyta|conifer]]ous habitat and of leaves in deciduous trees. This is in contrast to the goldcrest, which frequently feeds on the undersides of branches and leaves. In winter, flocks of common firecrests cover a given distance about three times faster than do goldcrests, and ignore the smallest prey items preferred by their relative; large invertebrates are killed by beating them repeatedly against a branch.<ref name = hbw/> The differences in behaviour are facilitated by subtle morphological differences; firecrests have broader bills with longer [[feather|rictal bristle]]s (which protect a bird's eye from food items it is trying to capture), and these features reflect the larger prey taken by the species. The firecrest's less forked tail may reflect its longer episodes of hovering while hunting. Firecrests forage more often while standing, and have a foot better adapted for perching, whereas the goldcrest's longer hind toe reflects its habit of moving vertically along branches while feeding. It also has a deep grooves in the soles of its feet capable of gripping individual needles, while firecrests have a smoother underside to the foot.<ref name= Leisler >{{cite journal | last= Leisler | first= Bernd |author2=Thaler, Ellen | year=1982 | title= Differences in morphology and foraging behaviour in the goldcrest ''Regulus regulus'' and firecrest ''R. ignicapillus'' | journal= Annales Zoologici Fennici | volume= 19 | pages= 277–284 | url = http://www.sekj.org/PDF/anzf19/anz19-277-284.pdf }}</ref>

Young common firecrests are fed almost exclusively with springtails; larger food items are not accepted, and spiders are occasionally regurgitated. From the fifth day onwards, the nestling diet includes aphids and a high amount of snail shells, the latter being needed for bone growth. After the second week, the food includes larger moths and caterpillars, as well as various arthropods typically avoided by adults, such as [[Opiliones|harvestmen]], [[earwig]]s, and [[centipede]]s.<ref name="hbw"/>

In winter, the firecrest joins loose flocks of other wanderers such as [[tit (bird)|tits]] and warblers.<ref name= Baker/> This kinglet, like other species that prefer [[mixed-species foraging flock]]s in winter, hunts over a greater range of heights and vegetation types than when feeding alone. For species that tend to feed in flocks, foraging success while in a flock was about twice that for solitary birds.<ref name=Herrera>{{cite journal|last=Herrera |first=Carlos M |year=1979 |title=Ecological aspects of heterospecific flocks formation in a Mediterranean passerine bird community |journal=Oikos |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=85–96 |url=http://www.plant-animal.es/pdfs/Herrera.1979.Oikos.pdf |doi=10.2307/3544516 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720143131/http://www.plant-animal.es/pdfs/Herrera.1979.Oikos.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-20 |jstor=3544516 }}</ref> In some areas, wintering birds have developed the habit of coming to feeding stations and bird tables for fatty food, sometimes with goldcrests or warblers such as the [[common chiffchaff]] and [[blackcap]].<ref name= Simms/> The kinglet's digestive system is adapted to an entirely insectivorous diet, whereas ''[[typical warbler|Sylvia]]'' warblers include fruit in their autumn diet. A Spanish study compared that genus with the insectivorous firecrest and ''[[Leaf-warbler|Phylloscopus]]'' warblers. The results showed that, relative to body weight, the insect-eaters had shorter intestines, but longer gut passage times than the ''Sylvia'' species. The insect-eaters are also generally slightly smaller than the [[omnivore]]s.<ref name= Jordano >{{cite journal | last= Jordano | first= Pedro | year= 1987 | title= Frugivory, external morphology and digestive system in Mediterranean sylviid warblers ''Sylvia'' spp. | journal= Ibis | volume= 129 | pages= 175–189 | url= http://ebd10.ebd.csic.es/pdfs/Jordano_1987_Ibis_Sylvia%20morphology%20and%20frugivory.pdf | doi= 10.1111/j.1474-919x.1987.tb03199.x | hdl= 10261/45050 | access-date= 2010-10-28 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130620203613/http://ebd10.ebd.csic.es/pdfs/Jordano_1987_Ibis_Sylvia%20morphology%20and%20frugivory.pdf | archive-date= 2013-06-20 | url-status= dead | hdl-access= free }}</ref>