Firecrest
(Regulus ignicapilla)
Alert Status: Green
Identifying Features: This tiny bird competes with the goldcrest for the title of the UK's smallest bird. Has a green back, white belly, bronze 'collar' and a black and white eye-stripe. They have a yellow and black stripe on their heads, which has a bright orange centre in males.
Average Length: 9 cm
Average Lifespan: 2 years
Average Wingspan: 13-16 cm
Beak type: Insects
Feeding:
Natural: Spiders, moth eggs, small insects
How to feed: Bird table
What to feed: On (very) rare occasions firecrests have been known to visit gardens. They are 100% insectivorous, and you will never see one eating “standard” bird food such as sunflower hearts, wild bird seed or wild bird peanuts. It may be possible to feed softened mealworms and various insect suet foods, such as mealworm suet pellets and blocks.
Nesting : The firecrest builds its compact, almost spherical cone shaped nest in three layers of moss, lichen and cobwebs usually on a tree branch.
Where to see: Best to see in evergreen woodland. They can sometimes appear in gardens, along hedgerows and in scrub. They range around in flocks of other small birds during autumn and winter.
