Firecrest

Above:Firecrest
Below: Goldcrest.

Firecrests are quite rare birds in the UK, especially the north west. They are resident and do breed particularly in the south. In the north they seem to be more common during winter.

They are, with the goldcrest (shown below left for comparison), the smallest birds in the UK. They are bright green above and off white below. The wings have two white wing bars that sometimes appear as a white 'V' when the wing is folded. The legs and beak are black. So far we could also be describing the similar goldcrest. However, the goldcrest has a much plainer head with a narrow black edged, yellow centre crown stripe. The firecrest has broad black edges to it's central orange/yellow crown stripe. It also has broad white eyebrow stripes and a warm yellow patch on the neck, making it an altogether more colourful and attractive little bird.

Because they are rare, these birds are not easy to locate. They do have a tendency to spend a lot of time in one place when they have found a spot to their liking with a good food supply. This is another species that is best located by watching the sightings listed on Birdguides or similar sites.

Having found them, getting a photograph is not always easy. The good news is that they are fairly tame and don't seem to be too bothered at close human company. The bad news is that they are constantly moving looking for food and they often search in amongst dense vegetation. So quite a bit of patience may be needed.