UK - is this a Goldcrest, without a crest? (1 Viewer)

[Peakrill]

Saw a pair of these yesterday, hopping around in Hawthorne bushes near a slow river.
Wren sized, distinctly olive green, but apart from the wing markings, nothing else obvious.
They weren't too timid, and I managed a couple of sub-par snaps, though without the head, as it was hopping away!

All the pictures I've seen have a fairly distinctive crest, but I didn't notice anything like that.
Is it possible they still have juvenile plumage, in Febuary?

 

[Bewick]

This is a Goldcrest, is it possible you just did not get a proper look at the crest or are perhaps misremembering some details?

 

[THE_FERN]

I wondered how we can rule out firecrest from these views: perhaps the buffiness of the underparts in the first shot?

Either way, crest of goldcrest isn't always obvious. Photos are generally biased to images with the crest raised and the gold showing for aesthetic reasons. It more commonly presents a round- (big-)headed appearance and the yellow is often invisible.

 

[Peakrill]

Thanks both - the more I look the more likely it is a Goldgrest.
Re. a Firecrest - it didn't have any other obvious head markings - the wing was the only distinct feature noticable, and I got a much better view than in the pictures.
I haven't seen one before, so can add it to my list, and will look out for them again. My photography certainly needs some practice!

 

[lou salomon]

no juveniles in February, Peakrill. And I'm fairly confident it is a Goldcrest and not a Firecrest, on mantle colour.