Red Crossbill

red_crossbill.jpg

Loxia curvirostra

The bills of these birds are specialized for opening pine cones. Holding the cone with one foot, the bird inserts its closed bill between the cone and the scales, pries the scales apart by opening its bill, and extracts the seed with its flexible tongue.

Description:

Most males are reddish overall, brightest on crown and rump; wings and tail dusky. Females are yellowish-olive; throat is always gray. The bills with crossed tips identifies this species.

Voice:

A hard jip-jip or jip-jip-jip. Song is jip-jip-jip-jeeaa-jeeaa or warbled passages and chips.

Food:

Red Crossbills feed exclusively on conifer seeds.

Nest:

Nests are saucer shaped and constructed of conifer twigs lined with grasses, lichen, conifer seeds, shredded bark, and feathers. Females lay 3 eggs typically, 1 each day, with incubation starting at the last egg laid, unless the weather is cold. The eggs are a light bluish-green.

Habitat:

Red Crossbills are found almost exclusively in mature, coniferous forests.

Range:

These birds are found throughout the northern hemisphere.

3/13/2021

Photo courtesy of Tom Grey