The Red Crossbill has one of the most specialized bills in the bird world — the tips of the upper and lower mandibles cross, acting as a precision tool to pry open conifer cones and extract seeds. It is highly nomadic, following cone crops across the continent with no predictable migration. Several distinct call types ('types') exist that may represent cryptic species with different bill sizes matched to different conifers.
Best time to see a Red Crossbill
The best time to see a Red Crossbill is March–August, when about 63% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 8,313 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a Red Crossbill? What bird is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
Recent Red Crossbill sightings near you
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