The goldcrest is the smallest bird in Europe, weighing on average just 5-7g (1/4 oz). With a characteristic dull olive-green top and white underbelly, the goldcrest is famed for the gold stripe on its crown, giving it a somewhat striking appearance. It is very similar to the Firecrest bird. Males and females differ only slightly. On the male, the crest stripe is orange; on the female, it is yellow.
Goldcrests are very quick birds, which makes them hard to spot. They tend to scurry from place to place, and do so on branches and around tree trunks. They can be distinguished by their high pitched calls.
Goldcrest Feeding
Goldcrests feed mainly on insects and spiders, and as such are ground feeders. It is rare for goldcrests to venture into the garden and feed from bird tables; however, on very cold winter days, goldcrests can be found feeding from bird tables. It is worth bearing this in mind if you want to feed goldcrests from your garden table. Bread crumbs and small bits of cheese will attract them to the table on these cold winter days.
Goldcrest Breeding & Nesting
Goldcrest nests can often be located on conifer branches and buried among ivy. Typically, the goldcrest nest is made of moss, spiders webbing and lichens and is usually found to be lined with feathers.
Goldcrests eggs are a dull-white colour with light brown speckles. Breeding begins in late April; the incubation period lasts between 14-17 days and consequently there are around 19 fledge days. Both parents help to feed the young.
Starting in spring and continuing through much of summer, male goldfinches are a bright lemon yellow with black foreheads, black wings and white markings above and beneath their tails. (Females are olive above and dull yellow beneath.) Come winter, both sexes turn a drab brown—so dull they often are mistaken for sparrows. The change occurs through the process of molting. The American goldfinch is the only finch species that molts its body feathers twice a year, once in late winter and again in late summer.
Late Breeders
Frequent molting is both time-consuming and physiologically taxing for the birds. Some scientists suggest this may be the reason goldfinches breed so late in the season—rarely beginning in earnest until mid-July. Another possibility is that the birds wait to nest until thistle, milkweed and other plants have produced fibrous seeds, which goldfinches not only eat but also use to build their nests.
Goldfinches are among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, selecting an entirely vegetable diet and only inadvertently swallowing an occasional insect. This diet helps protect goldfinches from cowbirds: Though the parasitic birds may lay eggs in goldfinch nests, the hatchlings cannot survive long on an all-seed diet.
Color and Fitness
Choosy female goldfinches prefer to mate with males that have the brightest plumage. “Color matters”.
Why? One possibility stems from the fact that the male’s color comes from carotenoid pigments (the chemicals that make carrots orange) that he acquires through his diet. By selecting the brightest males, females also may be getting the best food providers for their offspring.
The Stork-billed Kingfisher, Pelargopsis capensis, is a tree kingfisher that is broadly however sparsely distributed in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia. Its previous name was Halcyon capensis. This kingfisher is basically resident all through its vary.
Stork-billed Kingfisher is a species of a wide range of well-wooded habitats close to lakes, rivers, or coasts.
Its underparts and neck are buffs. The very massive invoice and legs are vivid red. The flight of the stork-billed kingfisher is labored and flapping, however direct. Sexes are comparable.
There are 13 races or subspecies, differing largely in plumage element, however P. c. gigantea of the Sulu Archipelago within the Philippines has a white head, neck, and underparts.
It perches quietly while looking for meals, and is commonly inconspicuous regardless of its dimension.
It’s territorial and can thrust back eagles and different massive predators. This species hunts fish, frogs, crabs, rodents, and younger birds.
Adults dig their nests in river banks, decaying bushes, or tree termite nests. A clutch of two to 5 spherical white eggs is typical.
Lifespan
The common life span of the kingfisher is 2 years.
Description
The Stork-billed Kingfisher is a big hen, usually measuring 25 to 38 cm in size and weighing between 140 and 200 grams.
Grownup birds have a blue-green again, blue wings and tail, and a gray to brown head. The neck and underparts are orange-yellow colored.
It has a really massive invoice, 18 to 20 cm in size, which together with the small legs, is coral purple.
It has a direct, labored flight and its flight look is dominated by its plain blue wings and purple bill.
There isn’t an apparent sexual dimorphism in grownup birds, though females are usually bigger.
Juvenile birds are comparable in look to the grownup however have slim dusky fringes on the collar, decrease throat, and breast, giving it a scaly look. In addition, they have buff-green fringes on the higher tail coverts. Juveniles even have a duller invoice and fewer distinguished purple eye-ring compared to the grownup.
Size
It is a very massive kingfisher, 35 cm in size.
The grownup has a green again, blue wings and tail, and gray head. Its underparts and neck are buffs. The very massive invoice and legs are vivid purples. The flight of the Stork-billed Kingfisher is labored and flapping, however direct. Women and men look alike.
There are 15 races, largely differing in plumage element, however, P. c. gigantea of the Sulu Islands has a white head, neck, and underparts.
Calls / Vocalizations
The decision of this noisy kingfisher is a low and much-reaching peer-por-por repeated every 5 seconds or in order properly cackling ke-ke-ke-ke-ke-ke.
Range
The Stork-billed Kingfisher is discovered all through the South Asia subcontinent and Southeast Asia from India to Indonesia.
It’s resident all through its range broadly however sparsely distributed. It’s fairly sedentary, with some restricted native motion.
Diet / Feeding
It perches quietly while looking for meals, and is commonly inconspicuous regardless of its dimension. It’s territorial and can thrust back eagles and different massive predators. This species hunts frogs, crabs, rodents, and younger birds; however, they’re predominantly fish-eaters.
Like different kingfishers, it is ready to hover above the water whereas trying to find fish.
Their heavy bodyweight offers them sufficient energy to swoop down quickly on a fish that is near the water floor.
An average family of 6 kingfishers eats as much as 100 fish a day!
Nesting / Breeding
Stork-billed Kingfisher digs its nest in a river financial institution, decaying tree, or a tree termite nest.
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Autumn 