Common firecrest vs Goldcrest
The common firecrest is heavier: 5.6 g against 5.54 g for the goldcrest, about 1% more.
Photo: Frank Vassen · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Francis C. Franklin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a common firecrest and a goldcrest?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- The common firecrest is heavier: 5.6 g against 5.54 g for the goldcrest, about 1% more.
- The goldcrest is longer-lived: 7 years against 5.6 years for the common firecrest, about 25% longer.
- Both belong to the genus Regulus, so they are close relatives.
- Both are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Side by side
| Common firecrest | Goldcrest | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Regulus ignicapilla | Regulus regulus |
| Family | Regulidae | Regulidae |
| Order | Passeriformes | Passeriformes |
| Weight | 5.35 g – 5.8 g | 5.54 g – 5.85 g |
| Length | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 5.6 years | 7 years |
| Main food | Not recorded | arthropods |
| Habitat | forest | forest |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Countries recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.
Full record: Common firecrestFull record: GoldcrestCompare other animals