Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)

County List:

Rule:

Forested Landscapes

      (Spruce/Fir (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Jack Pine (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Red Pine (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (White Pine (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Black Spruce (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or Treed Bog
   containing:
      Mast

Habitat List:

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Literature:

Habitat: The Red Crossbill is closely associated with conifer forests throughout the year. In Michigan, savanna-like stands of mature red pine are preferred habitat of the Red Crossbill. These areas are used by family units and could serve as crucial food sources for fledglings. Jack pine plains, sand ridges with mature pine, black spruce-tamarack bogs, and recent clearcuts are used in summer by foraging flocks.

Most documented nests in Michigan were in red and white pines and Norway spruce. The best account of Red Crossbill nest characteristics in Michigan is an Atlas record of two nests in Alpena Co. described by Lewis Scheller. Both nests were in Norway spruce with large plantations of non-native conifers set in native, lowland mixed conifer-deciduous forest. The first nest, found on 9 March 1985, was in the process of being built on a horizontal branch adjacent to the trunk and approximately 46 feet from the ground. The second nest was located on 17 March 1985 in a nearby stand and was on a horizontal branch 5 feet from the trunk, approximately 30 feet above ground.

The Red Crossbill's nearly exclusive diet of conifer seeds influences its seasonal distribution and habitat selection. In the Northeast, Red Crossbills have been shown to shift from the seeds of one conifer to another based on food profitability (ripened cones which are most available and highest in energy content). Preference was found for white spruce in late summer, white pine in early autumn, and red pine in winter and spring.

Habitat: Breeding: Coniferous forests from wooded marine islands to mountain tops. Wintering: Coniferous woods.

Special Habitat Requirements: Coniferous trees.

Red Crossbills in North America are quite variable, from small-billed birds that feed on spruce cones to large-billed ones that specialize on pines. Scientists have long puzzled over how to classify these different forms. New research suggests that there may be as many as eight different full species of Red Crossbills on this continent. Slight differences in call notes are apparently enough to keep them from mixing, and several kinds may occur in the same area without interbreeding.

Habitat: Conifer forests and groves. Seldom found away from conifers. Depending on region of continent, may breed mainly in pines, or may be in spruce, hemlock, Douglas-fir or other evergreens. Different races may favor different forest types. Wandering flocks may appear in plantings of conifers in parks or suburbs well away from usual range.

Diet: Mostly seeds of conifers. Seeds of pines and other conifers are favored foods whenever available. Also eats buds of various trees, seeds of weeds and deciduous trees, some berries, insects. Much attracted to salt. Young are fed regurgitated seeds.

Nest: Placed on a horizontal branch in conifer, often well out from trunk, usually 10-40 feet above ground but can be lower or much higher. Nest is a bulky open cup, loosely made of twigs, bark strips, grass, rootlets, wood chips, lined with fine grass, moss, lichens, feathers, hair.

Migration: No regular migration, but most populations are nomadic, moving about in response to changes in food supplies. Apparently does most traveling by day. Majority of southern most records are during winter.