| Regulus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Golden-crowned kinglet (R. satrapa) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Regulidae |
| Genus: | Regulus Cuvier, 1800 |
| Species | |
See text | |
Regulus is agenus ofbird in the familyRegulidae.
It contains mostkinglet species aside from theruby-crowned kinglet (Corthylio calendula), which was formerly classified inRegulus but is now known to belong to its own genus.[1]
The name of the genus is derived from theLatinregulus, a diminutive ofrex, "a king",[2] and refers to the characteristic orange or yellow crests of adult kinglets.
Several forms have only recently had their status clarified. TheMadeira firecrest was formerly considered to be a subspecies,R. i. madeirensis, of thecommon firecrestR. ignicapillus. Aphylogenetic analysis based on thecytochrome bgene showed that the Madeiran form is distinct at the species level from the firecrestnominate subspeciesR. i. ignicapillus. Cytochromeb gene divergence between the Madeira firecrest and the European bird is 8.5%, comparable with the divergence level between other recognisedRegulus species, such as the 9% between thegoldcrest and thegolden-crowned kinglet.[3] The split was accepted by theAssociation of European Rarities Committees (AERC) in 2003.[4] Thegolden-crowned kinglet is similar in appearance to the common firecrest and has been considered to be its New World equivalent, but it is actually closer to thegoldcrest.[3]
Goldcrests from the Canary Islands are particularly distinctive having a black forehead, pink-buff underparts and a darker closed wing,[5] and have been sometimes treated either as a subspecies of the common firecrest or as a differentRegulus species altogether.[6] They were sometimes called theTenerife goldcrest, no matter which of the islands they lived on; however, a 2006 study of the vocalisations of these birds indicate that they actually comprise two subspecies of the Goldcrest that are separable on voice;R. r. teneriffae occurring on Tenerife and the newly described subspecies,R. r. ellenthalerae, occurring on the smaller islands of La Palma and El Hierro.[7] The three goldcresttaxa on theAzores,Santa Maria goldcrest,Sao Miguel goldcrest andWestern Azores goldcrest, represent recent colonisations from Europe, and are best treated as subspecies.[8]
The relationships of theflamecrest or Taiwan firecrest (Regulus goodfellowi) of Taiwan have also been a source of much debate. It is sometimes viewed as a race of firecrest, but its territorial song resembles those of theHimalayan races of goldcrest, and genetic data show that it is the closest relative of that species, and, despite its alternative name, only distantly related to the firecrest.[9] The flamecrest diverged from the Goldcrest 3.0–3.1 mya (million years ago).[10]
| Species intaxonomic sequence | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Common and binomial name | Image | Description | Range |
| Common firecrest Regulus ignicapilla |  | Bright olive-green upperparts with bronze shoulder patches, and whitish underparts with brownish-grey on the breast and flanks. The head has a black eye stripe, long whitesupercilium, and a crest, bright yellow in the female and mainly orange in the male.[11] | Western and Southern Europe and North Africa |
| Madeira firecrest Regulus madeirensis |  | Compared to the common firecrest, this species has a longer bill and legs, a shorter white supercilium, more black on the wings and a deeper golden-bronze shoulder patch; the male's crest is duller orange.[12] | Madeira |
| Golden-crowned kinglet Regulus satrapa | .jpg) | Olive-grey upperparts and white underparts. They have white wing bars, a black stripe through the eyes and a yellow crown surrounded by black. The adult male has an orange patch in the middle of the yellow crown.[13] | North America |
| Flamecrest orTaiwan firecrest Regulus goodfellowi |  | Upperparts green, rump and flanks yellow, and underparts are buff. There is a white wing bar. The crown has black stripes and a crest, orange-yellow in male and yellow in female. White around the eye and a whitesupercilium. Throat and neck sides are grey.[14][15] | Taiwan |
| Goldcrest Regulus regulus |  | Olive-green upperparts, buff-white underparts and a plain face with conspicuous blackirides. The crown of the head has black sides and a narrow black front, and a bright crest, yellow with an orange centre in the male, and entirely yellow in the female.[16] | Most of Europe and Asia |
There are a few Pleistocene (2.6 million to 12,000 yearsBP) records from Europe of extantRegulus species, mostly goldcrests or unidentifiable to species. The only fossil of an extinctRegulus is a leftulna from 2.6 to 1.95 mya in Bulgaria, which was identified as belonging to an extinct species,Regulus bulgaricus. The goldcrest lineage diverged from this apparent ancestor of the common firecrest in the Middle Pleistocene.[17]
The three continentalRegulus species all have very large ranges and populations. The two single-island endemics are common within their habitat, and are not thought to be at risk. All kinglets are therefore classified asLeast Concern on theIUCN Red List.[18]
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