crossbill

crossbill, (genus Loxia), any of several species of birds of the finch family, Fringillidae (order Passeriformes), known for their crossed mandibles. The crossed bill tips are inserted between the scales of cones so that the tongue can lift the seed out. Because conifers produce seed unpredictably, flocks wander widely and may be abundant in an area one year and absent the next.

North America hosts a variety of crossbills. In fact, evidence suggests that the eight different varieties of the red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) may actually be different species. Each has a slightly different call note, a variant of the hard “kip-kip” given in flight. There are also differences in diet and bill size, with different forms feeding on specific conifers; for example, the larger-billed varieties choose trees with larger cones. The stubby little red crossbill also eats insects, buds, and berries and is particularly attracted to salt.

The spruce-loving white-winged crossbill (L. leucoptera) occurs throughout the colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It wanders widely, but when it finds a good crop of cones, it may nest there, even in midwinter. An isolated variety of the species lives in the pine forests of Hispaniola. It utters a dry, rattling, mechanical trill in flight.

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Eurasian species include the Scottish crossbill (L. scoticus) and the parrot crossbill (L. pytyopsittacus).