Bird Watching: Red Crossbill

Folks living in the western and northern parts of the United States and in Canada might notice the red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) hanging out in coniferous forests. Southerners on occasion might even get a glimpse of them.

The red crossbill is about the size of a sparrow -- 5¼ - 6½ inches. The male is a dusty brick red color with brownish-black wings and tails. The females are a dull gray to green or yellow with dark-brown to black wings. Listen for their chipa-chipa-chipa-chee-chee-chee song or for a quick kip-kip-kip. The best way to identify these birds, however, is by their deeply forked tales and especially by the distinctive crossed mandibles, which are perfectly designed to extract seeds from cones on conifers.

Red crossbills breed from the southern part of Alaska across Canada -- Manitoba, Quebec, and into Newfoundland -- south into the western parts of the United States and into Wisconsin and the mountains of North Carolina. They may be spotted rarely in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee and, on occasion during severe winters, even in the Deep South and the Gulf Coast.

Red crossbills lay 3-5 eggs during the breeding season in shallow nests concealed on horizontal limbs of conifers. The eggs are pale-blue to a greenish color with brown and black spots. The female incubates the eggs for 12-14 days with the fledglings leaving the nest about 17 days later. (It should be noted that at the time the fledglings leave the nest, their bills have not yet crossed.)

As previously mentioned, red crossbills live in forests of conifers. Also, as previously mentioned, they prefer seeds found in the cones, which is also why they usually start nesting in January when their favorite food is so abundant. They will also feed on seeds found on deciduous trees, as well. In addition, they will eat some insects, such as ants, caterpillars, beetles, and aphids. They also seem to like calcium salts, and you might see flocks of them on the sides of roads in the winter foraging for salt that has been used on roads during the winter time. It is possible to attract them to your own yard by including pine trees, hemlocks, and other conifers in your landscape. On occasion, you can lure them by providing them with black oil sunflower seeds.

If you happen to be outside and see a bird that looks like it has a deformed bill, look closer. You will probably be looking at a red crossbill.

References:

Alsop III, Fred J. All About Tennessee Birds. Birmingham, AL: Sweetwater Press, 1997.

Bull, John and John Farrand, Jr. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Edition. NY, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1994.