Firecrests could be considered 'souped-up' Goldcrests, closely resembling the latter in size, sound, behaviour and overall appearance, but with brighter and bolder makings.
The Firecrest a summer visitor to Britain & Ireland. It was first recorded breeding in Hampshire in 1962, and has since extended its breeding range north through much of southern, central and eastern England and into Wales. This species is only recorded on passage on the island of Ireland. In winter, some Firecrests migrate across the North Sea from Fennoscandia, and then this species is found more widely, including on the west coast of Wales and the Northern and Western Island of Scotland.
Like Goldcrests, Firecrests can often be found combing trees and bushes, especially conifers, for small invertebrate prey. They may form flocks with other small birds in autumn and winter. Their striking facial markings most easily set them apart from Goldcrests. They have prominent black and white head stripes as well as their crowning crests, which are more orange in males and more yellow in females.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Firecrest
The tiny Goldcrest, is a common year-round bird, found mainly in woodland and gardens. Its much rarer cousin, the Firecrest, is found in similar habitats. Can you tell the two species apart?
Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Firecrest, provided by xeno-canto contributors.
Song
Develop your bird ID skills with our training courses
Our interactive online courses are a great way to develop your bird identification skills, whether you're new to the hobby or a competent birder looking to hone your abilities.
Firecrest was first confirmed to have bred in the UK in 1962 in Hampshire (Adams 1966). The breeding distribution is concentrated on southern and eastern England and the range has strongly increased since the 1968–72 Breeding Atlas (Balmer et al. 2013). Breeding records from Wales and northern England (Balmer et al. 2013) suggest further range expansion is likely. Intensive survey efforts have confirmed that large local breeding populations occur at some key sites such as the New Forest in Hampshire and it has been suggested that the UK population could number over 4,000 pairs (Clements et al. 2017), although population density may be highly variable and hence further more widespread surveys are needed to produce a robust national population estimate.
The Firecrest's breeding distribution is heavily concentrated within southeast and eastern England between Hampshire and Norfolk, with scattered records in Wales, southern and northern England. Densities are highest in southern England with local concentrations in East Anglia, Wales and Gloucestershire. This inland breeding distribution differs markedly from the mostly coastal distribution in winter.
Britain and Ireland Breeding Distribution 2008-2011. More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Britain and Ireland Winter Distribution 2008-2011. More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Firecrest is a scarce winter visitor and rare breeder and autumn passage migrant.
Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells) and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
The colonisation of the UK has followed considerable range expansion across continental Europe since the 1960s and mirrors the colonisation and rapid population growth in the Netherlands (Batten 1973; Hustings 2002). The reasons for this expansion are not known. It seems probable that climate change may have played a role in the recent rapid expansion but it is unclear whether or not this is the main driver and it is likely that other factors have also been important at least in the early stages of the colonisation which began before the effects of climate change became apparent.
Links to more information from ConservationEvidence.com
FIREC 
Share this page