Urban birds at Hull. 57. Goldcrest

The Goldcrest is the smallest bird in the UK. They are most often heard (if your hearing is good!) than seen, their calls and song are very high pitched, the latter sounding like a tiny violin, up and down for a while with a final flourish. It favours dense-canopy trees such as conifers and ivy-clad trees, where they feed on tiny insects and spiders, but in the winter it can be found more widely, often joining mixed flocks of tits, always active. Goldcrests have a greenish-grey back, warmer head and paler underneath, with white wing bars and black wing patch. The eyes are big and dark and the bill thin. Its most distinctive feature is its crest, a bright stripe lined with black, yellow in females and with a central orange stripe in males, often flat and thin, but open and erected when the bird is excited. Goldcrests have a very compact shape, without a discernible neck, and a short tail, but their legs are relatively long.

Goldcrest in hedgerow. The Avenues. 13 November 2021.

A singing Goldcrest. Pearson Park, 17 April 2016.

Fledgling Goldcrest at Pickering Park. Sculcoates, 4 June 2022. Note the lack of 'crest'.

Another fledgling at Pickering Park,12  June 2022.

Status and Distribution in Hull

Goldcrests are widely distributed in Hull, although they are never common. They can be seen year round, but in the autumn and winter, when numbers swell with migrants they are more obvious and widespread. It is amazing to think that they fly across the North Sea away from the cold continental winters. Mature yew trees in cemeteries are a favoured breeding spot, but they can also be found in garden and park conifers. Locations where breeding has been proven include Pickering Park rock garden, East Park Khyber Pass, Pearson Park and the cemeteries. It may seem surprising that they used to be quite rare in Hull, as described by Richard Broughton in his 'Birds of the Hull Area'.

Goldcrest being ringed at Spurn Bird Observatory, 31 October 2019.

Conservation and Management

The Goldcres is a Green Listed species. Although Goldcrest numbers drop after harsh winters, the population size has remained stable since the 90s. The species might benefit from climate warming and milder winters. The species is more abundant in urban environments than in other natural habitats (except woodland, especially conifer woodland). Fashion for gardening with conifers benefits the species in urban environments as do mature wood in churchyards and cemeteries. 

More information

BTO Bird Facts. Goldcrest.

Broughton, R.K. 2002. Birds of the Hull area.