Species

Red crossbill

Loxia curvirostra

A finch whose crossed bill tips pry open pine cones, wandering the mountains in search of seed crops.

Photo Shirley Zundell (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Adaptation

At a glance

Size: About 14 to 17 cm long
Weight: About 24 to 40 g
Habitat: Pine and spruce forests
Diet: Conifer seeds
In Georgia: An irregular resident and visitor in the mountains
Voice: A sharp "kip-kip" in flight
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Crossed bill tips; males brick-red, females olive-yellow
Told apart from: House finch, which has a normal, thick bill
Where to look: Pine forests in the mountains, where cones are plentiful

Behaviour

Red crossbills use their crossed bills to pry open cone scales and extract seeds with their tongues. They breed whenever seed crops are good, even in winter.

Why they matter

Red crossbills include several "types" with different calls and bill sizes, each suited to particular conifers. Scientists are still working out whether some are separate species.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup in a conifer
Eggs — Usually three or four
Incubation — About 12 to 16 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents; their bills are straight at hatching and cross as they grow
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Crossbills sometimes eat salt and grit on roads and are hit by cars.

Misconceptions

The crossed bill is a deformity. It is the crossbill's specialised tool.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wandering; may nest if cones are plentiful	Wandering	Wandering	Wandering	Wandering	Wandering	Wandering	Wandering	Wandering	Wandering	Wandering	Wandering

Where it lives

Recorded in 61 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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