Goldcrest

    Regulus regulus

Castilian: Reyezuelo sencillo

Catalan: Reietó

Gallego: Estreliña do norte

Euskera: Mendi-erregetxoa

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Sylviidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

It is not especially threatened, but it is vulnerable to cold winters and the effects experienced by forest systems, which cause fires and abusive tree felling.

Length / size: 9 cm / 13-16 cm

Identification: It is one of the smallest birds in Europe, together with the common firecrest, its close relative. Its back is greenish, it underparts light, and its wings dark with a white band; its crown has three bands: two are black and not joined to its forehead, and flank another band, which is orange in males and yellow in females.

Song: It makes a very high-pitched "pee-tee-tee-loo", which it repeats several times and ends with a chirp.

Diet: It exclusively feeds on insects.

Reproduction: Breeding begins in May. The nest is a small bowl made of lichens and moss and covered with feathers that is built by both adults and is located more than 3 metres high, in a bark ridge or at the end of a branch. The female incubates the eggs and the chicks are cared for by both parents.

HABITAT

It has a preference for cold and wet mountain forests. During breeding season it occupies coniferous forests (pine, savin) and deciduous ones (oak, Portuguese oak), while in winter it occupies repopulated forests, oak groves or meadows. It is found at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,500 metres, reaching 2,200 metres in the Pyrenees.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: When breeding, it is limited to the wooded areas of the Canary Islands and the mountainous, humid areas in the northern half of the peninsula: the Cantabrian Mountains, the Pyrenees, and the Iberian and Central Systems. In winter, it is distributed throughout more temperate areas in the peninsula and Balearic Islands.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout the entire community. When breeding, the largest populations are found in northern León, Palencia, Burgos and northwestern Soria; in winter, it is widespread throughout all of the provinces.

Movements and migrations: It is a resident or partially migratory species. The central European populations and those from the northern areas of the rest of its world distribution go south during winter, while the Iberian populations move to warmer areas in the centre and south of the peninsula. The prenuptial passage takes place between February and April, and the postnuptial between September and November.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 170000-580000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: