Red crossbill Temporal range: | |
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Male red crossbill | |
Female red crossbill | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Fringillidae |
Subfamily: | Carduelinae |
Genus: | Loxia |
Species: | L. curvirostra |
Binomial name | |
Loxia curvirostra | |
Range of L. curvirostra Breeding Resident Non-breeding Vagrant (seasonality uncertain) |
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.
Crossbills are characterized by the mandibles crossing at their tips, which gives the group its English name. Using their crossed mandibles for leverage, crossbills are able to efficiently separate the scales of conifer cones and extract the seeds on which they feed. Adult males tend to be red or orange in colour, and females green or yellow, but there is much variation.
The distinctive crossed mandibles eliminate most other species, but this feature is shared by the similar two-barred crossbill, with which it overlaps considerably in range. The two-barred crossbill has two bright white wing bars, while the wings of the red crossbill are entirely brownish-black.
The red crossbill is the only dark-winged crossbill throughout most of its range, but it overlaps at least seasonally with the small ranges of the very similar parrot, Scottish, and Cassia crossbills. These species were formerly considered subspecies of the red crossbill, and though they show very slight differences in bill size and shape, they are very difficult to visually distinguish from the red crossbill and are generally best identified by call. The plumage differences between these four crossbills are negligible, there being more variation between individual birds than between species. [2] [3]
Measurements: [4]
Red crossbills breed in a variety of coniferous forests across North America and Eurasia. Its movements and occurrence are linked very closely to the availability of conifer seeds, its primary food source. They typically nest in late summer (June–September) when the seeds of most conifer species mature, but may nest at any time of year if they locate an area with a suitable cone crop.
This species is considered nomadic and highly irruptive, as conifer seed production may vary considerably year to year and birds disperse widely to breed and forage when the cone crop in their particular vicinity fails. In many areas of their range they are considered irregular because they may be present in certain years and not in others. The various types of red crossbill (see Taxonomy and Systematics) prefer different types of conifers, and therefore may differ in the regularity, timing, and direction of their irruptions. A few populations, such as the Newfoundland crossbill (North American type 8), are resident and do not undertake significant movements. When they are not breeding, the various types of red crossbill may flock together, and may also flock with other species of crossbill. [3] [5]
Red crossbill irruptions in the British Isles occur very infrequently, and were remarked upon by writers dating back to the 13th century. These irruptions led in the twentieth century to the establishment of permanent breeding colonies in England, and more recently in Ireland. The first known irruption, recorded in England by the chronicler Matthew Paris, was in 1254; the next, also in England, appears to have been in 1593 (by which time the earlier irruption had apparently been entirely forgotten, since the crossbills were described as "unknown" in England). [6] The engraver Thomas Bewick wrote that "It sometimes is met with in great numbers in this country, but its visits are not regular", [7] adding that many hundreds arrived in 1821. Bewick then cites Matthew Paris as writing "In 1254, in the fruit season, certain wonderful birds, which had never before been seen in England, appeared, chiefly in the orchards. They were a little bigger than Larks, and eat the pippins of the apples [pomorum grana] but no other part of them... They had the parts of the beak crossed [cancellatas] by which they divided the apples as with a forceps or knife. The parts of the apples which they left were as if they had been infected with poison." [7] Bewick further records an account by Sir Roger Twysden for the Additions to the Additamenta of Matt. Paris "that in the apple season of 1593, an immense multitude of unknown birds came into England... swallowing nothing but the pippins, [granella ipsa sive acinos] and for the purpose of dividing the apple, their beaks were admirably adapted by nature, for they turn back, and strike one point upon the other, so as to show... the transverse sickles, one turned past the other." [7]
The red crossbill was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Loxia curvirostra. [8] Linnaeus specified the locality as Europe but this was restricted to Sweden by Ernst Hartert in 1904. [9] [10] The genus name Loxia is from Ancient Greek loxos, "crosswise"; and curvirostra is Latin for "curved bill". [11]
The red crossbill is in the midst of an adaptive radiation into the niches presented by the various species of conifer. [12] There are about 10 North American and 18 Eurasian types so far identified, [13] with many known to affiliate with a particular conifer species or a suite of similar conifer species. While each type may be seen to feed on many different conifer species when not breeding, each has optimal breeding success only in a particular type of conifer forest. This isolates the populations against interbreeding, which over time has resulted in their diverging genetically, phenotypically, and even speciating. Birds of all types are essentially identical in appearance but have slight differences in their vocalizations. Typically they are identified by their single note "chip" calls, which they give frequently and which differ considerably between types. Often computer analysis is used to distinguish the call types, but experienced observers can learn to separate the more distinctive ones by ear in the field. [3] [14]
The different populations of red crossbill are referred to as "types" because they are differentiated by a phenotypic feature (call note) and not all of them have yet been proven to be genetically distinct. Those populations which have been found to be genetically distinct are considered subspecies. Three populations formerly considered to be subspecies of red crossbill are now recognized by most authorities as full species:
As research into the species has progressed, types are increasingly being found to be genetically distinct and elevated to the subspecies level. It is expected that this trend will continue, and it is also likely that more of these subspecies will eventually be recognized as full species. [3] [12] [14] [15]
Some large-billed, pine-feeding populations currently assigned to this species in the Mediterranean area may possibly be better referred to either the parrot crossbill or to new species in their own right, but more research is needed. These include the Balearic crossbill (L. c. balearica) and the North African crossbill (L. c. poliogyna), feeding primarily on Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis); the Cyprus crossbill (L. c. guillemardi), feeding primarily on European black pine (Pinus nigra); and an as-yet unidentified crossbill with a parrot crossbill-sized bill feeding primarily on Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii) in the Balkans. These populations also differ on plumage, with the Balearic, North African and Cyprus subspecies having yellower males, and the Balkan type having deep purple-pink males; this, however, merely reflects the differing anthocyanin content of the cones they feed on, as these pigments are transferred to the feathers.[ citation needed ]
Distinct Eurasian common crossbill populations | Associated tree species | Summers' list based on calls | The Sound Approach's list based on calls [16] | Call-type, flight call |
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Balearic crossbill, L. c. balearica | Aleppo pine ( Pinus halepensis ) | |||
North African crossbill, L. c. poliogyna | Aleppo pine ( Pinus halepensis ) | 3E | ||
Corsican crossbill, L. c. corsicana | European black pine ( Pinus nigra ) | |||
Cyprus, Turkey + Caucasus crossbill, L. c. guillemardi | European black pine (Pinus nigra) | 5D | ||
Crimean crossbill, L. c. mariae | European black pine (Pinus nigra)(?) | |||
Luzon crossbill, L. c. luzoniensis | Khasi pine ( Pinus kesiya ) | |||
Annam crossbill or Da Lat crossbill, L. c. meridionalis | Khasi pine ( Pinus kesiya ) | |||
Altai crossbill, L. c. altaiensis | Spruces | |||
Tian Shan crossbill, L. c. tianschanica | Schrenk's spruce ( Picea schrenkiana ) | |||
Himalayan crossbill, L. c. himalayensis | Himalayan hemlock ( Tsuga dumosa ) | |||
Japanese crossbill, L. c. japonica | ||||
Other Eurasian crossbills | ||||
1A | 'British crossbill' | Type E - flight call "Chip" | ||
1B | 'Parakeet crossbill' | Type X - flight call "Cheep" | ||
2B | 'Wandering crossbill' | Type A - flight call "Keep" | ||
Parrot crossbill, Loxia ptyopsittacus | Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) | 2D | ||
Scottish crossbill, Loxia scotica | Scots pine, larches, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) | 3C | ||
'Bohemian crossbill' | Type B - flight call "Weet" | |||
4E | 'Glip crossbill' | Type C - flight call "Glip" | ||
'Phantom crossbill' | Type D - flight call "Jip" | |||
'Scarce crossbill' | Type F - flight call "Trip" |
North American red crossbill subspecies based on biometrics | Jeff Groth's list using call types | Recorded on tree species (Jeff Groth call types) |
---|---|---|
Newfoundland crossbill, L. c. percna | Type 8 | black spruce (Picea mariana) |
Lesser crossbill, L. c. minor | Type 3 | western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) |
Sitka crossbill, L. c. sitkensis (probably a junior synonym of L. c. minor) | Type 3 | ditto |
L. c. neogaea | Type 1 | Tsuga species, Picea glauca, Pinus strobus |
L. c. neogaea | Type 4 | Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) |
Rocky Mountain crossbill, L. c. benti | Types 2, 7 | Type 2: Rocky Mountains ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa scopulorum) in the west, various Pinus species in the east; Type 7: possibly a general diet |
Sierra crossbill, L. c. grinnelli | Type 2, 7 | ditto |
Bendire's crossbill, L. c. bendirei | Type 2, 7 | ditto |
Mexican crossbill, L. c. stricklandi | Type 6 | pine species in section Trifoliae |
Central American crossbill, L. c. mesamericana | Type 11 | |
Cassia crossbill (described as Loxia sinesciuris in 2009) [17] | Type 9 | isolated population of the lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta latifolia) |
The great spotted woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker with pied black and white plumage and a red patch on the lower belly. Males and young birds also have red markings on the neck or head. This species is found across the Palearctic including parts of North Africa. Across most of its range it is resident, but in the north some will migrate if the conifer cone crop fails. Some individuals have a tendency to wander, leading to the recolonisation of Ireland in the first decade of the 21st century and to vagrancy to North America. Great spotted woodpeckers chisel into trees to find food or excavate nest holes, and also drum for contact and territorial advertisement; like other woodpeckers, they have anatomical adaptations to manage the physical stresses from the hammering action. This species is similar to the Syrian woodpecker.
Crossbills are birds of the genus Loxia within the finch family (Fringillidae), with six species. These birds are characterized by the mandibles with crossed tips, which gives the group its English name. Adult males tend to be red or orange in color, and females green or yellow, but there is much variation.
The Scottish crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, and is the only terrestrial vertebrate species endemic to the United Kingdom. The Scottish crossbill was confirmed as a unique species in August 2006, on the basis of having a distinctive bird song.
The parrot crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in pine forests in northern and northeastern Europe.
The two-barred crossbill or white-winged crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in the coniferous forests of North America and the Palearctic.
The pine grosbeak is a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is the only species in the genus Pinicola. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Canada, and in subarctic Fennoscandia and across the Palearctic to Siberia. The species is a frugivore, especially in winter, favoring small fruits, such as rowans. With fruit-crop abundance varying from year to year, pine grosbeak is one of many subarctic-resident bird species that exhibit irruptive behavior. In irruption years, individuals can move long distances in search of suitable food supplies, bringing them farther south and/or downslope than is typical of years with large fruit crops.
The pine siskin is a North American bird in the finch family. It is a migratory bird with an extremely sporadic winter range.
Pinus flexilis, the limber pine, is a species of pine tree-the family Pinaceae that occurs in the mountains of the Western United States, Mexico, and Canada. It is also called Rocky Mountain white pine.
The spotted nutcracker, Eurasian nutcracker, or simply nutcracker is a passerine bird slightly larger than the Eurasian jay. It has a much larger bill and a slimmer looking head without any crest. The feathering over its body is predominantly chocolate brown with distinct white spots and streaks. The wings and upper tail are virtually black with a greenish-blue gloss.
The palm cockatoo, also known as the goliath cockatoo or great black cockatoo, is a large smoky-grey or black parrot of the cockatoo family native to New Guinea, Aru Islands, and Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. It has a very large black beak and prominent red cheek patches.
Pinus serotina, the pond pine, black bark pine, bay pine,marsh pine, or pocosin pine, is a pine tree found along the Southeastern portion of the Atlantic coastal plain of the United States, from southern New Jersey south to Florida and west to southern Alabama. Pond pine distribution may be starting to spread west towards Mississippi and Tennessee.
The crimson rosella is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The species as it now stands has subsumed two former separate species, the yellow rosella and the Adelaide rosella. Molecular studies show one of the three red-coloured races, P. e. nigrescens, is genetically more distinct.
The scarlet macaw is a large yellow, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. Its range extends from southeastern Mexico to Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil in lowlands of 500 m (1,600 ft) up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), the Caribbean island of Trinidad, as well as the Pacific island of Coiba. Formerly, the northern extent of its range included southern Tamaulipas. In some areas, it has suffered local extinction because of habitat destruction, or capture for the parrot trade, but in other areas, it remains fairly common. It is the national bird of Honduras. Like its relative the blue-and-yellow macaw, the scarlet macaw is a popular bird in aviculture as a result of its striking plumage.
Pinus occidentalis, also known as the Hispaniolan pine, Hispaniola pine or pino criollo, is a pine tree endemic to the island of Hispaniola.
Krüper's nuthatch is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is a small to medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) in length. The upperparts are blue-gray, with the front half of the crown black in adults of both sexes, but with a less marked in the female rear. The species has a black or gray eyestripe and a prominent white supercilium. The underparts are blue-gray in males and buff-gray in females, with a large, crescent-shaped rufous pectoral patch. The Krüper's nuthatch feeds on insects in the summer and seeds, especially pines, in the fall and winter. Breeding takes place between March and May, and the nest is usually placed in a tree hole. The clutch consists of five to seven eggs, incubated by the female and fed by the male. Both parents take part in feeding the young.
Serotiny in botany simply means 'following' or 'later'.
The Hispaniolan crossbill is a crossbill that is endemic to the island of Hispaniola, and the only representative of the Loxia genus in the Caribbean.
The Moluccan king parrot is a parrot endemic to Peleng Island, Maluku, and West Papua in Indonesia. It is sometimes referred to as the Ambon king parrot or Amboina king parrot, but this is potentially misleading, as it is found on numerous other islands than Ambon. The male and female are similar in appearance, with a predominantly red head and underparts, green wings, and blue back and tail. Six subspecies are recognised, but only a few of these are regular in aviculture. In the wild, it inhabits rainforests and feeds on fruits, berries, seeds and buds.
The Newfoundland red crossbill is a member of the crossbill genus which has its crossed bill adapted for prying open the tightly closed spruce or pine cones in order to extract the seeds found abundantly on the island of Newfoundland.
The Cassia crossbill is a passerine bird in the family Fringillidae. It is endemic to the South Hills and Albion Mountains in southern Idaho. Cassia crossbill rarely interbreeds with other call types that move into the South Hills of Idaho yearly, and can be considered to represent a distinct species via ecological speciation. The Cassia crossbill have specialized beaks to access the seeds of the lodgepole pine cones in this region, but are poorly adapted to other pine cones in surrounding regions.