Overview
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.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Countries
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bhutan
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- China
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Egypt
- Estonia
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Iran
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Pakistan
- Poland
- Romania
- Russia
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Uzbekistan
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Goldcrest
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
