Above: Female (left) and two male Red Crossbills at a Winnipeg feeder; by Rudolf Koes.
How do I recognize it?
Crossbills are finches, comparable in size to the more familiar Purple Finch and House Finch. Famously, the bill mandible tips cross over, an adaptation for prying seeds out of cones. Adult males have extensive red coloration, while females and immature birds are grey with varying amounts of greenish-yellow wash. Juveniles are heavily streaked, while young males may have a mix of red, yellow, and orange hues. In all plumages, they lack the conspicuous wing-bars that distinguish White-winged Crossbills. Often detected first by their chattery calls as they fly overhead, crossbill flocks disappear from sight and fall silent when they dive into the top of a conifer to feed. Luckily, Red Crossbills find nyjer and sunflower seeds to their taste, and occasionally provide eye-level viewing at feeders.
Above: A male Red Crossbill shows off his “tweezers” at a Pinawa feeder; by Linda Huisman.
Does it migrate?
Red Crossbills are nomadic rather than migratory; they make erratic, continent-wide movements as their preferred seed supplies fluctuate from year to year. Most years, Red Crossbills are scarce in Manitoba, but they sometimes invade the province in large numbers; this happened most recently during the 2023-2024 winter. Depending on food supply, Red Crossbills may nest at any time of year.
Above: A plain-looking female Red Crossbill at a Pinawa feeder; by Linda Huisman
Where does it live?
Red Crossbills occur in coniferous woodland throughout temperate parts of the northern hemisphere, including much of Manitoba. About ten different North American types of Red Crossbill are recognizable to experts by their different calls, bill size (linked to their preferred conifer species), and core breeding ranges; further information is available here: https://ebird.org/news/recrtype/. One form, a Lodgepole Pine specialist in southern Idaho, was recently recognized as a distinct species named the Cassia Crossbill. Over 20 further varieties (call types) have been differentiated in Eurasia, with the Scottish Crossbill also recently split (albeit controversially) as a separate species.
Above: This lone Red Crossbill was calling on a late-winter day at McArthur Falls dam; by Peter Taylor.
Where can I see it?
With luck, a few Red Crossbills may turn up at your feeder during an invasion year. Otherwise, keep an eye on cone-laden trees, both wild and cultivated, almost anywhere in the province.
Above: These two male Red Crossbills visited a feeder near Seven Sisters Falls; by Leon Clegg.
Conservation Status:
While the Red Crossbill as a whole appears to be secure, there is concern about declining numbers of the endangered Newfoundland subspecies and some populations in northwestern North America.
Above: A rare, clear view of a male Red Crossbill in a dead tree; by Garry Budyk.
Did you know:
Equal numbers of crossbills have left- and right-handed crossover of their mandibles. This apparently allows a flock to make optimum use of a cone-laden tree, since different seeds may be more accessible to a left- or right-billed bird.
Written by Peter Taylor