male	male female European distribution adults drinking

Identification

The Crossbill is something of a Parrot of the Pine Forests. Their stout build, clumsy looking beaks and habits of sidling along branches or pecking at pine cones while they hold them in one foot are all distinctly parrot-like. Crossbills are slightly bigger but distinctly fatter-looking than, say, Chaffinches, and have big bills with pointed mandibles crossed at the tips. The males are brick-red on the head, back and underparts, the females more of a dark browny-green with an obvious yellow rump. Juveniles are grey-brown and heavily streaked but lacking white or yellow in the wing or tail. Their bills are initially uncrossed but are still far too stout to allow any confusion with say Redpoll.

Habitat

Breeds and winters in coniferous plantations and woodlands with a preference for spruces.

Behaviour

Crossbills have crossed mandibles which enable them to poke into the gaps of opening cones and extract the seeds at the base of each scale. In theory the different species of Crossbill have different shaped bills making each one better adapted for a particular species of cone: Crossbills specialise in feeding on Spruce cones, Parrot Crossbills on Pine cones and Two-barred Crossbills on Larch cones.

Migration

Mostly resident but capable of long distance 'irruptive' movements when their numbers are high as a result of a good food supply.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Common Crossbill is classed as Common: common species, including species that are certain or probable escapees from captivity when occurring in the British Isles. (Note that rarity levels are currently applied nationally and may not reflect local variations in abundance.)

Lynford Arboretum, Norfolk 31/01/2010	Lynford GP, Norfolk 06/02/2010	Shatterford, Hants 06/02/2010	Lynford GP, Norfolk 06/02/2010	Loch Beg, Mull, Argyll 05/02/2010
Beattock, Dumf & Gall 30/01/2010	Beattock, Dumf & Gall 30/01/2010	Beattock, Dumf & Gall 29/01/2010	Beattock, Dumf & Gall 29/01/2010	Beattock, Dumf & Gall 29/01/2010

 View all pictures of Common Crossbill

Common Crossbill breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Britain
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lichtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine

BTO BirdFacts: Common Crossbill	Edit this link
	Broken link
Recommend a new link

BirdGuides Ltd are not responsible for the content of external sites. If you find a broken link, please click the appropriate "Broken link" link above`.