Species group · Birds

Crossbills

WAnimals has 2 species of crossbill, all in the family Fringillidae.

2 species

1 family

46 countries

225 parks

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 2.

All 2 species of crossbills on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Red Crossbill

Loxia curvirostra

Scottish Crossbill

Loxia scotica

2 Least Concern

No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.

Recorded in 46 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

The chicks hatch with a straight bill: it only crosses over after a few weeks, when they start needing it to open cones.
From Red Crossbill
It has an oesophageal diverticulum, a kind of pouch in the neck, where it stores food so as not to spend energy searching for it when the weather turns.
From Red Crossbill
Because pine seeds are hard to digest, it takes in a great deal of salt and comes down to forest tracks for the salt spread against ice.
From Red Crossbill
It is one of only two land vertebrate species endemic to the United Kingdom, along with the red grouse.
From Scottish Crossbill
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.
From Scottish Crossbill
The Scottish Gaelic name for the crossbill is Cam-ghob, which means "crooked bill".
From Scottish Crossbill