The goldcrest has greenish upper-parts, whitish under-parts, and has two white wingbars. It has a plain face contrasting black irises and a bright head crest, orange and yellow in the male and yellow in the female, which is displayed during breeding.

It is also one of the smallest birds in Europe, 8.5–9.5 cm in length, with a 13.5–15.5 cm wingspan and a weight of 4.5–7.0 grams. It is similar in appearance to a warbler. This species is partly migratory with populations deserting their breeding areas in winter.

The typical contact call of the goldcrest is a thin high-pitched zee given at intervals of 1–4 seconds, with all the notes at the same pitch. The goldcrest breeds in mature lowland and mountain coniferous woodlands, mainly up to 3,000 metres. The goldcrest are almost exclusively insectivorous and will catch flying insects while hovering.