Goldcrest

MOST people believe that Britain’s smallest bird is the Jenny Wren – but in fact the national featherweight champion is the miniscule goldcrest, which measures just over eight centimetres from beak to tail and is half the weight of a wren.

It is very little known because, until recently, it was very rare: like all small warm-blooded creatures, it has grave difficult in keeping up its body temperature and often fails to survive harsh winters.

However, ornithologists have discovered that goldcrest numbers have increased by more than a quarter thanks to a run of mild winters up until 2008 – and it now more numerous than at any time since a national breeding bird survey was launched in 1994 having an estimated population of 1.5 million.

Despite is tiny weight – less than a 10p piece – some members of the species cross the North Sea to over-winter in Britain. In Victorian times, it was believed that it achieved this marathon journey by hitching a ride on the backs of larger migrating birds.