Goldcrests

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small songbirds with a bright golden or orange crest on the head, the smallest birds found in Europe
2. Tiny warblers of the kinglet family, easily recognized by the vivid yellow crown stripe on their heads
3. Minute European perching birds whose striking golden crests make them one of the smallest species on the continent

Etymology: Goldcrests are the plural of "goldcrest", the tiny European songbird whose name describes its most striking feature: a patch of bright yellow (sometimes orange) feathers running along the crown of its head. Gold and crest are both ordinary English words, so the bird is named in plain descriptive terms rather than after a person or place. The "crest" element refers to the head plumage, the same sense used for the raised tuft on a helmet or the feathered comb of a cockerel.