Common Firecrest

The Common Firecrest is, alongside its humped cousin, one of the two smallest birds in Europe. The former weighs only 5 to 5.5 grams. At first glance they look like tiny green birds. To distinguish between them, the easiest way is through their song, although this is only applicable during spring. Otherwise one must look at their heads. The most visible difference is on the side. The Common Firecrest has a black band on the eye, which is very visible against the white background, while the Humped Firecrest does not have one. Just like its cousin, its crown has three longitudinal bands, a large, orange or yellow median band surrounded by two black ones. This is where the small sexual dimorphism lies. The median band is bright orange on the male, yellow on the female, sometimes tinted with orange. These colorful feathers can stand up into a short crest when the bird is excited or anxious. On the Common Firecrest, the black lateral bands on the crown are wider and more visible thanks to the wide white eyebrows. A white crescent accents the dark eye, which is in turn accented by a black moustache line. The Rtp (Common Firecrest) is more colorful above than its cousin. The nape, sides of the neck and cloak are a bright green-yellow. The forehead is golden and the cap of the male is a brighter orange. The undersides are paler, a slightly grayish white with the throat slightly creamy. The juvenile is duller in plumage, and can be recognized and distinguished from the Humped Firecrest by its head. The cap is gray, without the three bands of the adult. The sides of the head are marked by a white eyebrow and white arc under the eye which clearly stand out, in contrast to the uniformity that characterizes the young Humped Firecrest. The eye band is barely developed, and is a grayish color.