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Red Crossbills are a very remarkable and skilled bird. The tips of the bill are specialized and do actually cross, as the name suggests. This specialized bill is used to extract the seeds from coniferous cones, such as pines, spruce, tamarack, and hemlock. The Red Crossbill holds the cone with one foot, inserting its closed bill under one of the scales. It then opens the bill sideways, the opposite way mouths are normally opened. This action exposes the seed underneath, which is then extracted with its flexible tongue.
The Red Crossbill is between 13 and 17 cm in length. Males are a dull brick red, and females are gray tinged with dull green, brightest on the rump. They are found in coniferous forests, usually among pine trees.
Red Crossbills usually appear in the Algonquin Highlands in large numbers. When cone supplies diminish, the birds will flock to other areas, often far away. Breeding occurs at all times of the year, nesting beginning as early as January.
Nests are made from strips of bark, grass, and roots lined with plant down, and placed near the end of a conifer branch. The Red Crossbill will lay 3 or 4 pale blue-green eggs, lightly spotted with brown. Songs range from chee-chee-chee-chee, to chipa-chipa-chipa, and also kip-kip-kip.
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RED CROSSBILL
Loxia curvirostra
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