Goldcrest

Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) is an extremely small greenish bird with two pale wing bars and a vivid yellow to orange crown stripe bordered by black. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It moves restlessly through Palearctic conifers, hovering and gleaning tiny insects from foliage, builds a compact suspended nest and shifts south or downslope from the colder northern and eastern breeding areas. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).