red crossbill, common crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) The Common Crossbill, or Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in the spruce forests of North America, Europe and Asia. The crossbill is characterised by mandibles that cross at their tips, lending the group its English name. They feed on conifer cone seeds, particularly of spruce, douglas-fir, and pine. The unusual bill shape is an adaptation to assist the extraction of the seeds from the cone.
Description
Red Crossbills (Male), Cabin Lake Viewing Blinds, Deschutes National Forest, Near Fort Rock, Oregon
Date June 2006
Source http://www.naturespicsonline.com/ (higher resolution version obtained in correspondence with website owner)
Author Elaine R. Wilson, www.naturespicsonline.com
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Crossbills_(Male).jpg
The red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae, also known as the common crossbill in Eurasia. Crossbills have distinctive mandibles, crossed at the tips, which enable them to extract seeds from conifer cones and other fruits.
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Genus: Loxia
Species: Loxia curvirostra Linnaeus, 1758
