# Common firecrest (*Regulus ignicapilla*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-firecrest  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The common firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla), also called the firecrest, is a bird in the family Regulidae, within the songbirds and other perching birds. It is a tiny bird, with an adult body mass from 5.35 to 5.8 g (representative value 5.6 g) and a wingspan of 14 cm. This migratory, perching bird lives in forest and is an invertivore, placing it at the carnivore trophic level. Its eggs are incubated for 15 days, with a clutch size of 8.5 and 1.5 clutches per year, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 5.35 g – 5.8 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 14 cm |
| Lifespan | 5.6 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Egg incubation | 15 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 8.5 |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.5 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Perching |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Passeriformes
- family: Regulidae
- genus: Regulus
- species: *Regulus ignicapilla* (Temminck, 1820)

Synonyms: *Orchilus ignicapillus*, *Regulus ignicapillus*, *Regulus ignicapillus ignapillus*, *Regulus mystaceus*, *Regulus nilssonii*, *Regulus pyrocephalus*, *Regulus pyrocephalus*, *Sylvia ignicapilla*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the common firecrest?

The common firecrest is a bird in the family Regulidae and the order Passeriformes, grouped with the songbirds and other perching birds.

### How heavy is the common firecrest?

The common firecrest weighs 5.6 g, with reported adult body mass from 5.35 to 5.8 g. Its wingspan is 14 cm.

### What does the common firecrest eat?

The common firecrest is an invertivore, which places it at the carnivore trophic level.

### What habitat does the common firecrest live in?

The common firecrest lives in forest, where it has a perching lifestyle. It is a migratory bird.

### Is the common firecrest endangered?

No. The common firecrest is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the common firecrest live?

The common firecrest has a lifespan of 5.6 years.

### How many eggs does the common firecrest lay?

The common firecrest has a clutch size of 8.5, with 1.5 clutches per year. Its eggs are incubated for 15 days.

### Who named the common firecrest?

The common firecrest, Regulus ignicapilla, was named by (Temminck, 1820).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Common firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-firecrest