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White-winged Crossbill

Loxia leucopteraOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Finches (Fringillidae)

White-winged Crossbill Winter Breeding Male Portrait
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General

White-winged Crossbill Winter: Medium-sized crossbill, bright pink overall except for black wings with two bold, broad white wing-bars. Belly has dull white center; undertail coverts are white. Tail is black and deeply notched. Female is brown-streaked overall with olive-brown rump. Juvenile is heavily streaked.

Range and Habitat

White-winged Crossbill: Breeds from Alaska and northern Quebec south to Newfoundland and British Columbia. In winter, found south to the Carolinas and Oregon. Also occurs in Eurasia. Found in coniferous forests.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"sweet-sweet-sweet", "chif-chif-chif", "peet"

Interesting Facts

 The White-winged Crossbill has been observed breeding in all 12 months. Breeding depends only upon a food supply that is sufficient for egg formation and rearing of young.

 The unusual shape of the bill is an adaptation that makes it easier for them to remove the seeds from cones. The bill holds the cone scales open while the seed is removed with the tongue.

 These birds have a specialized "pocket" in the middle throat that allows them to store additional seeds. An individual of this species may consume as many as 3,000 conifer seeds in one day.

 A group of crossbills are collectively known as a "crookedness" and a "warp" of crossbills.



Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for White-winged Crossbill
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Buntings, Finches, Sparrows (Emberizidae)_blue
Species Loxia leucoptera
Length6 - 6.75 Inches
Wingspan10 Inches

White-winged Crossbill

White-winged Crossbill: Medium crossbill, bright pink overall except for black wings with two bold white wing-bars. Belly has dull white center; white undertail coverts. Black tail, deeply notched. Swift bounding flight, alternates rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.

● Song: "sweet-sweet-sweet", "chif-chif-chif", "peet"

● Foraging & Feeding: White-winged Crossbill: Eats conifer seeds, other seeds, weeds, grasses, and insects. Forages in small flocks during most of year; attracted to salt licks and salt on surfaces of winter highways.

● Breeding & nesting: White-winged Crossbill: Three to five brown and purple spotted, white to blue green eggs are laid in a nest made of grass, bark, lichens, moss, and hair, and lined with twigs and weeds. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: White-winged Crossbill: American Goldfinch is smaller, has stubby pink bill, white undertail coverts, black wings with two white to buff wing-bars, and lacks white patch across base of primaries.

Flight Pattern

Swift bounding flight with rapidly beating wings alternating with brief periods of wings pulled to sides.
White-winged Crossbill Winter Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: White-winged Crossbill: Breeds from Alaska and northern Quebec south to Newfoundland and British Columbia. In winter, found south to the Carolinas and Oregon. Also occurs in Eurasia. Found in coniferous forests.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationFairly common
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight1 Ounces