Madeira Firecrest

Overview

The Madeira firecrest, also known as the Madeira kinglet, is a very small passerine bird that is endemic to the island of Madeira. Previously classified as a subspecies of the common firecrest, it was recognised as a distinct species in 2003 following genetic and morphological analysis.

Identification

• Plumage: Bright olive-green upperparts with bronze shoulder patches and whitish underparts washed with brownish grey on the breast and flanks.
• Head: Striking pattern with a black eye stripe, short white supercilium, and a crest that is mainly orange in males and yellow in females.
• Structure: Small plump bird, 9–10 cm long, with two white wingbars, a tiny black bill, and brownish-black legs.
• Behaviour: Hops with the body held horizontally and exhibits weak, whirring flight with occasional jinking.

Habitat

Endemic to the main island of Madeira, this species mainly occurs at elevations of 600 to 1,550 m in forests and scrub, with a strong preference for tree heaths. It breeds in laurisilva, broom, Vaccinium, and oak-dominated forests, but avoids alien eucalyptus and acacia plantations. The population is estimated between 100,000 and 200,000 individuals and is currently increasing.

Diet

Almost exclusively insectivorous, the Madeira firecrest preys on small arthropods such as springtails, aphids, and spiders, as well as their cocoons and eggs. It favours larger prey like moths and caterpillars and forages on the upper surfaces of branches in coniferous trees and leaves in deciduous trees, also searching moss and lichen on laurel and oak trunks.

Did you know?

The evolutionary separation between the Madeira firecrest and European common firecrests is estimated at roughly four million years, which is considerably earlier than the two-and-a-half million-year maximum estimate for goldcrest radiations in the Canary and Azores islands. Male common firecrests do not respond territorially to recordings of Madeira firecrest songs, yet the Madeiran birds react strongly to playback of the mainland calls.