Scottish Crossbill

• It is the only bird species endemic to the United Kingdom.
• Its status as a species in its own right was confirmed in August 2006 on the basis of its distinctive song: it is one of very few cases in which voice has been the decisive argument for separating a species.
• The Scottish Gaelic name for the crossbill is Cam-ghob, which means "crooked bill".
• It is the only bird species endemic to Great Britain and the only land vertebrate found nowhere else in the United Kingdom. Its status as a species in its own right was confirmed in 2006 on the basis of its distinctive call.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Endemic to the Caledonian forests of Scotland, where it occupies the conifer stands. The first global estimate of its population was made over 3,506 km² of conifer forest in northern Scotland

Size at birth

An altricial chick with down, which leaves the nest at 20-22 days; its bill does not cross until about ten days later, so it goes on depending on its parents

Sexual maturity

1 year

Gestation / incubation

12-14 days of incubation, by the female alone, fed by the male

Litter / clutch size

3-4 eggs, with recorded clutches of 2 to 6; the size depends on the pine cone crop

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; EUNIS - Agencia Europea de Medio Ambiente; Informe Art. 12 de la Directiva Aves; Summers y Buckland 2010, Bird Conservation International (Cambridge University Press); British Ornithologists Union; Hartert 1904

Best time: All year round in the Caledonian forests of Scotland

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.