Listen to the Goldcrest
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Goldcrest
The Goldcrest is a bird in the family Regulidae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 14 cm and weigh around 1 g.
What does the Goldcrest sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as song and call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The goldcrest (Regulus regulus) is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers, as well as being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore, gives rise to its English and scientific names. The scientific name, R. regulus, means 'petty king' or prince. Several subspecies are recognised across the very large distribution range that includes much of the Palearctic and the islands of Macaronesia and Iceland. Birds from the north and east of its breeding range migrate to winter further south.
Related birds in the genus Regulus
Frequently asked questions
What does a Goldcrest sound like?
You can hear 6 recordings of the Goldcrest on this page, including its song and call. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the Goldcrest endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Goldcrest as “least concern”.
What family does the Goldcrest belong to?
The Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) belongs to the family Regulidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) (W1CDR0001500 BD19) – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Pod grúne - Volovec, Slovakia by Alexander Kurthy – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call, song · Ménagerie du Jardin des plantes, Paris, Île-de-France… by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Kallvik, Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland by Hannu Varkki – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Pine forest near Lazurnoe Settlement, Odintsovskiy rayon… by Nikita Panfilov – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Sérignan, Hérault, Occitanie, France by GESHORS Yann – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q26657 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Goldcrest – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Missy Osborn from New Forest, England – CC BY-SA 2.0