| Western Canary Islands goldcrest | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Regulidae |
| Genus: | Regulus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | R. r. ellenthalerae |
| Trinomial name | |
| Regulus regulus ellenthalerae Päckert et al., 2006 | |
The Western Canary Islands goldcrest (Regulus regulus ellenthalerae) is a subspecies of the goldcrest. It is restricted to the western Canary Islands of La Palma and El Hierro where it is a non-migratory resident.
Previously thought to be the same taxon as the Tenerife Goldcrest (Regulus regulus teneriffae), it was separated as a distinct subspecies of the goldcrest which apparently evolved from an independent colonisation of the islands 1.3–1.8 million years ago. [1]
