Goldcrest / Wintergoldhähnchen (Regulus regulus)

Wikipedia eBird Vogelwarte BirdLife ZH ornitho.ch bird-song.ch Xeno-Canto BirdID NABU

Wintergoldhähnchen beim Meteorwasserkanal am Pfäffikersee. Endlich habe ich einen bei uns gesehen! 2020-10-30 16.44.10 Pfäffikersee
Classification: Genus Regulus; Family Old world warblers (Sylviidae)
I'd often heard the high-pitched song and call in the woods by Fehraltorf but had doubts I'd ever see one (they're the smallest bird in Switzerland, fairly shy, and I seemed to only hear them in very tall trees). I didn't see one until hiking at the Pragelpass. And finally in October 2020, I saw them near Rumlikon and at the Pfaeffikersee, where I took the new profile picture. In December I saw give of them cruise through the bushes beside our house, hopping from branch to branch, snapping up insects - something I'd never have believe in spring 2020.
Song:

Kurze Reihe von sehr hohen, leisen Tönen in auf-absteigender Tonhöhe, an das „W“-im Namen erinnernd. [Link]

Song: a very high-pitched, undulating series of arpeggiated notes moving down and up again, repeated 4-5 times ending with a marked "conclusion" (like "trying to start a tiny motor and failing"). Timbre of song similar to contact call. [Link]
Calls:

'sisisi' [Link]

Contact call a very high pitched "zit zit zit", only similar to Firecrest and treecreepers. Treecreepers usually calls with longer "zzzziiiiit" repeated at regular intervals, while Goldcrest calls in phrases with two to four calls in series in an uneven rhythm. Firecrest contact calls lower pitched than Goldcrest, and in a softer tone (but quite similar). [Link]
Physical details: length=9 cm, wingspan=13-15 cm, weight=4-7 g
Habitats: Forest

Song:

Vogelwarte.ch says high-pitched song that gently rises and falls. This song starts out with a repeated note. [Link]
Song attributes: Melody: stereotype melodic, slow, Frequency: 6-8 KHz
Call: Automatically generated from Xeno-Canto recording

♫ 2020-10-22 15.48.07 Fehraltorf (song?)

First documented observation : 2020-07-13 in Niederurnen.

Media

Wintergoldhaehnchen, Kempten-Wetzikon. Ich habe zuerst diesen Vogel aus Sommergoldhähnchen beschrieben, aber ich denke ist es eher ein Wintergoldhähnchen. Es hat nicht wirklich den schwarzen Augenstreifen mit deutchlichem Weiss ober- und unterhalb, noch gelbliche Feder hinter dem Kopf. 10. März ist auch etwas früh für ein Sommergoldhähnchen - sie sind dann am Ziehen, aber es sind sicher sehr wenig bei uns. 2021-03-10 12.10.52 Wetzikon	Wintergoldhaehnchen fliegt auf den naechsten Ast, Kempten-Wetzikon. 2021-03-10 12.10.50 Wetzikon	Wikipedia Goldcrest. Source: WIKIPEDIA Wikipedia Goldcrest.jpg

Video

♫ Wintergoldhähnchen (song)

Additional Images

Wintergoldhaehnchen, bever - mit insekt, etwas gelb am kopf sichtbar -. 2021-07-28 17.32.06 Engadin	Wintergoldhaehnchen, bever - mit insekt -. 2021-07-28 17.32.04 Engadin	Wintergoldhaehnchen, bever. 2021-07-28 17.26.20 Engadin
Wintergoldhaehnchen, Kempten-Wetzikon. 2021-03-10 12.10.52 Pfäffikersee	Wintergoldhaehnchen fliegt auf den naechsten Ast, Kempten-Wetzikon. 2021-03-10 12.10.50 Pfäffikersee