Red Crossbill Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesRed Crossbill
Adult male
Medium-sized finch with a crisscrossed bill. Adult males are red overall with darker brownish-red wings (some individuals may show wingbars).
© Michael Stubblefield / Macaulay LibraryNew York, December 23, 2020Female
Full-bodied finch with a crisscrossed bill. Females are yellowish with dark unmarked wings.
© Chris Wood / Macaulay LibraryNew York, February 25, 2007Male
A medium-sized songbird with a unique crossed bill. Crossbills use their specialized bill to pry open conifer cones and then extract the seeds found inside.
© Tom Johnson / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, December 21, 2020Not all videos have sound
Juvenile
Juveniles are heavily streaked overall with thin buffy wingbars, which can be hard to see depending on position of the bird.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryOregon, August 11, 2019Male
Different Red Crossbill populations, known as "types," have distinctly different flight calls and bill shapes that are adapted for different types of cones.
© Don DesJardin / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, June 05, 2018Not all videos have sound
Immature male
Immature males are a patchy mix of red and orangish yellow feathers as they molt into adult plumage. Note dark unmarked wings and tail.
© Nancy Barrett / Macaulay LibraryOntario, February 26, 2017Adult male
Typical call is a series of short, sharp "jip" notes.
© DAVID BROWN / Macaulay LibraryNew York, August 09, 2006Not all videos have sound
Female
Uses its crisscrossed bill to extract seeds from pine cones. Females are yellowish overall.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, December 29, 2012Flock
Moves in large nomadic flocks in search of good cone crops.
© Ross Gallardy / Macaulay LibraryVirginia, April 01, 2016Habitat
Found in mature evergreen forests with large cone crops. Feeds on seeds from spruce, Douglas-fir, eastern and western hemlock, or pine trees.
© Marlene Cashen / Macaulay LibraryWashington, November 28, 2015Similar SpeciesWhite-winged Crossbill
Adult male
Adult male White-winged Crossbills have 2 bold white wingbars that Red Crossbills lack.
© Jeremiah Trimble / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, December 09, 2012Similar SpeciesWhite-winged Crossbill
Female
Female White-winged Crossbills are streakier than female Red Crossbills. They have 2 bold wingbars (although one is sometimes concealed), whereas female Red Crossbills have plain wings.
© Chris Wood / Macaulay LibraryNew York, March 02, 2009Similar SpeciesHouse Finch
Adult male
House Finches have more streaks on the belly and back than the unmarked bodies of male Red Crossbills. They also lack the crossbill's crisscrossed bill.
© Suzanne Labbé / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, February 21, 2017Similar SpeciesHouse Finch
Female/immature
Female/immature House Finches are streaky like juvenile Red Crossbills but they are smaller and don't have a crisscrossed bill.
© Dave Spier / Macaulay LibraryNew York, January 15, 2008Similar SpeciesPine Grosbeak
Adult male
Pine Grosbeaks are larger than Red Crossbills with a stubby bill, not a crisscrossed bill. They also have more gray plumage than Red Crossbills.
© Shawn Billerman / Macaulay LibraryWyoming, June 15, 2014Similar SpeciesPine Grosbeak
Female
Pine Grosbeaks are larger than Red Crossbills with a stubby bill, not a crisscrossed bill. Females are grayer than female or immature Red Crossbills, which are more yellow overall.
© Doug Hitchcox / Macaulay LibraryMaine, February 16, 2011Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Finches, Euphonias, and Allies(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Fringillidae)
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