Finches · Perching birds
Red Crossbill
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Loxia curvirostra
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Voice
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
Song
Max Karlsson
How to recognize it
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17 cm, a little larger than a sparrow
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Bill tips crossed over each other
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Male red to orange; female greenish or yellowish
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Undulating flight, flocks often call "chip-chip-chip"
About the species
The Red Crossbill is memorable for its crossed bill, a tool made for prying seeds out of cones. It moves with confidence through the treetops and can hang upside down while working at a cone.
It is a noisy, restless presence overhead. Flocks call back and forth in flight, and the voice is sharp and repeated. When cone crops fail, it shifts to better areas instead of staying put.
Look for it in conifer woods, especially spruce stands, and also in mixed forest. Its main food is conifer seeds, though it also takes weeds, sunflower seeds, and sometimes insects. In good years it may breed in winter as well as summer.
Where to find
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In mature city parks with spruces and pines, Red Crossbill often gives itself away by a noisy chorus in the treetops while the flock works through cones.
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In winter, check conifer plantings along quiet streets and in courtyards — hanging upside down on thin branches, prying seeds out of the cones.
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After wind or snow, look under spruces and firs for fallen cone scales and quick movements between the lower branches.
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In large conifer stands on the edge of town, the dry “chip-chip-chip” usually reaches you before anything else — drifting over the canopy.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Loxia curvirostra Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Red crossbill Encyclopedia article