Red crossbill
Loxia curvirostra
Bird
A conifer-seed specialist whose mandibles cross at the tips, letting it pry apart cone scales and lift the seed with its tongue. It is really a complex of call types that differ in bill size, each tracking the cone structure of the conifers it feeds on, and it breeds whenever a cone crop is heavy rather than to a fixed calendar.
Plan for this species
Location-fit plant set for Chicago, IL: host and specialist plants first, then nectar, fruit, seed, foliage, and shelter plants that still fit the current and mid-century climate read.
0 essential relationships / 3 supporting plants
Host/specialist links: 0
Forage/pollination links: 3
Shelter links: 0
Relationship roles: 1
Ponderosa pine
Supporting / Seed plants
Crossed mandibles pry the cone scales apart so the bird can lift out the seed; call types differ in bill size according to the conifers they specialise on.
White fir
Supporting / Seed plants
Crossed mandibles pry the cone scales apart so the bird can lift out the seed; call types differ in bill size according to the conifers they specialise on.
Fraser fir
Supporting / Seed plants
Crossed mandibles pry the cone scales apart so the bird can lift out the seed; call types differ in bill size according to the conifers they specialise on.
Plants in the catalog
Seed plants · 4
Crossed mandibles pry the cone scales apart so the bird can lift out the seed; call types differ in bill size according to the conifers they specialise on.
Crossed mandibles pry the cone scales apart so the bird can lift out the seed; call types differ in bill size according to the conifers they specialise on.
Crossed mandibles pry the cone scales apart so the bird can lift out the seed; call types differ in bill size according to the conifers they specialise on.
Crossed mandibles pry the cone scales apart so the bird can lift out the seed; call types differ in bill size according to the conifers they specialise on.
Range
Conifer forests across North America and Eurasia, wandering widely and irruptively in response to cone crops rather than holding a fixed winter range.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife page. The source cards below show the upstream references behind the taxonomy, range, conservation, host, forage, and habitat claims.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra). Retrieved 2026, July 31, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/red-crossbill
Sources for wildlife facts
11 cited fact fields are backed by the source cards below.
Cornell Lab All About Birds: Red Crossbill
Species account for the crossed-bill feeding mechanism, conifer-seed diet, call-type complex, and irruptive movements.
Backs 4 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Foraging
Lifecycle
GBIF: Loxia curvirostra
GBIF backbone key 9629160 is an exact accepted match for Loxia curvirostra in family Fringillidae.
Backs 2 fields
Taxonomy
Range
iNaturalist: Loxia curvirostra
iNaturalist taxon 10411 is the active species record with community observation range data.
Backs 2 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Wikipedia: Red crossbill
Corroborating reference for the call-type complex and the conifer species each type specialises on.
Backs 3 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Foraging