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Home > Coniferous Forest Animals > Red Crossbill

Red Crossbill

Red Crossbills are small passerine birds, belonging to the finch family, found in North America, Europe and Asia. Although these small birds possess distinctive crossed bills, they exhibit variations geographically in terms of vocalization as well as size and shape of the bill.

Red Crossbill Range

Red Crossbill Range

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae
Genus Loxia
Scientific Name Loxia curvirostra
Red Crossbill

Red Crossbill

Red Crossbills

Red Crossbills

Quick Information

Other Names Common Crossbill, Crossbill
Size 15 – 17 cm
Wingspan 25-27 cm
Weight 34-48 g
Color Males: Brick-red/orange-red/yellowish plumage, dull-red head, dark brown eyes, dark grayish brown wings, black legs and feet, blackish-brown cleft tail

Females: Dull greenish-yellow/dull grayish plumage, yellow rump

Juveniles: Grayish-brown plumage, whitish underparts

Distribution North America including southern Alaska, Newfoundland, northern United States, and North Carolina; Central America, Northern Eurasia, northern Africa, Philippines, and south-eastern Asia
Habitat Coniferous forests, including pines, spruces, firs, and hemlocks
Nesting Often begins in January
Sounds Call: Loud, persistent chip-chip, also a harsh “chewk” when excited or alarmed, “jip-jip-jip” ringing flight call

Song: Trill sound followed by calls like that of Greenfinch

Adaptations Beaks are curved at the tips, helping them to extract seeds from cones
Lifespan Up to 16.1 years
Diet Mainly conifer seeds, also feed on buds of some trees; berries, weed seeds, insects like aphids
Clutch Size 3 to 4 eggs
Number of Broods 1 to 2 per year
Incubation Period 12 – 16 days
IUCN Conservation Status Least Concern
Red Crossbill Pictures

Red Crossbill Pictures

Red Crossbill Bird

Red Crossbill Bird

Behavior

They are sociable and stay in small flocks around the year. Known to be strong and fast fliers that are tolerant to cold, red crossbills don’t migrate, but cover long distances in search of good conifer seeds.

When removing seeds from the cones, they start from the bottom and move spirally upward, searching each scale and removing the seeds with their tongue.

Female Red Crossbill

Female Red Crossbill

Juvenile Red Crossbill

Juvenile Red Crossbill

Breeding and Nesting

Breeding is more closely related to food availability than to season. The species is monogamous, and pairs are formed within flocks.

Nests are built by the female crossbills and are located on horizontal branches higher up in coniferous trees. The nest comprises of grass, twigs, and barks strips and is lined with lichen, feathers, grass, and hair.

A female incubates her eggs while the male gathers food for her and for the newborn for the first few days after hatching. Females also take part in food gathering along with the males after five days of continuous brooding.

Red Crossbill Nest

Red Crossbill Nest

Red Crossbill Pair

Red Crossbill Pair

Lifecycle

After 18 to 22 days, the young leave the nest. The young are fed by the parents for around a month after hatching.

Interesting Fact

The species including its subspecies are the only birds in the world having crossed bills.

Red Crossbill Flying

Red Crossbill Flying

Red Crossbill Beak

Red Crossbill Beak

References:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_crossbill
  2. http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-red-crossbill.html
  3. https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Loxia_curvirostra
  4. http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/red_crossbill
  5. http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Loxia_curvirostra/

Published on November 7th 2016 by Sajal Datta under Coniferous Forest Animals.
Article was last reviewed on 5th December 2022.

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