White-Winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera)


Group	Finches
Code	ABPBY05020
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Fringillidae
Author	Gmelin, 1789
Rank	G5 (definitions)
Occurrence	SM (definitions)
Scale	N (definitions)

County List:


Western UP	Delta, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Ontonagon, Marquette, Baraga
Eastern UP	Chippewa, Alger
Northern LP	Cheboygan, Crawford
Southern LP	Wayne

Rule:

Forested Landscapes

      (Spruce/Fir (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Hemlock (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Tamarack (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Black Spruce (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or Treed Bog
   containing:
      Mast

view decision rule term definitions

Habitat List:

Habitats	Regen	Sap	Pole	Sm Saw	Lg Saw	Uneven
Aspen	no	no	no	no	no	-
Paper Birch	no	no	no	no	no	-
Oak	no	no	no	no	no	no
Assorted Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Spruce/Fir	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Hemlock	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Jack Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Red Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
White Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Conifer Plantations	no	no	no	no	no	-
Mixed Upland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Upland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Swamp Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Balsam Poplar & Swamp Aspen & Swamp Birch	no	no	no	no	no	no
Bottomland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Tamarack	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Northern White Cedar	no	no	no	no	no	no
Black Spruce	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Mixed Lowland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Non-Forested	Treed Bog
Special Features	Mast

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Literature:

Evers, D. C. 1991. White-winged Crossbill. Pages 520-521 In: R. Brewer, G. A. McPeek, and R. J. Adams, Jr. (eds.) The atlas of breeding birds of Michigan. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing. 594 pp.

Habitat: Although the White-winged Crossbill may occur in a wide variety of habitats, breeding pairs inhabit boreal forests, generally with a spruce component. Its occupation of habitat is highly dependent on food availability; crossbills are nearly exclusively cone feeders. Unlike the Red Crossbill, which has a larger bill and prefers pines, the White-winged Crossbill is generally associated with spruce, tamarack, fir, and hemlock. Atlas summer observations were typically in habitats with spruce.

In Ontario, the few recorded nests were from spruce habitats. The twig nest is placed on a horizontal limb, averaging 8 to 15 feet above the ground.

DeGraaf, R. M. and D. D. Rudis. 1986. New England wildlife: habitat, natural history, and distribution. GTR NE-108. Broomall, PA:USDA, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 491 pp.

Habitat: Breeding: Coniferous forests. Wintering: Coniferous forests.

Special Habitat Requirements: Coniferous forests.

Kaufman, K. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 675 pp.

Flocks will travel long distances, perhaps clear across Canada at times, in search of good spruce cone crops. When they find such crops, they may settle briefly to build nests and raise young, regardless of the season, even in midwinter.

Habitat: Spruce forests, tamaracks. Seldom found away from conifer forests. Breeds mainly in forests having high concentrations of spruce trees, also where tamaracks are common. When not nesting may also occur in forest of pine, fir, hemlock, juniper, and occasionally in deciduous trees. Isolated race in Hispaniola, West Indies, lives in pine forest.

Diet: Mostly conifer seeds. Feeds mainly on spruce seeds whenever these are available; also favors seeds of tamarack and hemlock, and will eat seeds of many other conifers. Also feeds on buds, weed seeds, berries, insects. Will eat salt. Young are fed mostly regurgitated seeds.

Nest: Place on horizontal limb of tree, usually spruce or other conifer, often 10-15 feet above ground, can be lower or much higher (up to 70 feet). Nest is open cup of twigs, weeds, grass, bark strips, lined with rootlets, lichens, moss, plant fibers, hair.