Red Crossbill

Also known as Common Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra

species of small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae

AI overview

The Red Crossbill is a small finch with a distinctive crossed bill that it uses to extract seeds from pine cones, and it's found across the Northern Hemisphere. This bird is notable because different populations have evolved specialized bill shapes and sizes adapted to different types of conifer seeds, making it an interesting example of how birds adapt to their food sources.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Species

Least Concern

via IUCN

Wikidata facts

Mass: 2.95
Image: Red crossbill juvenile male (53418704643).jpg

Show 8 more facts

taxon name: Loxia curvirostra
Commons category: Loxia curvirostra
Commons gallery: Loxia curvirostra
taxon common name: cruza-bico-comum
wingspan: 29
litter size: 3.5
short name: L. curvirostra
taxon author citation: Linnaeus, 1758

Sources (9)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Article

Loxia curvirostra The red crossbill or common crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Crossbills have distinctive mandibles, crossed at the tips, which enable them to extract seeds from conifer cones and other fruits.

Adults are often brightly coloured, with red or orange males and green or yellow females, but there is wide variation in beak size and shape, and call types, leading to different classifications of variants, some of which have been named as subspecies. The species is known as "red crossbill" in North America and "common crossbill" in Europe.