crossbill

The crossbill Loxia curvirostra feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of coniferous trees. The crossed beak is more pronounced in birds that feed on the tougher seeds of trees such as Scots pine. Crossbills' beaks are not crossed when they first hatch, but become crossed a few weeks after the young leave the nest. Male and female crossbills are not alike – males are orange-red (pictured here), while females are green.

Species of finch, genus Loxia, family Fringillidae, order Passeriformes, in which the hooked tips of the upper and lower beak cross one another, an adaptation for extracting the seeds from conifer cones. The red or common crossbill Loxia curvirostra is found in parts of Eurasia and North America, living chiefly in pine forests.

The parrot crossbill L. pytopsittacus of Europe, and the white-winged crossbill L. leucoptera of northern Asia and North America, feed on pine and larch respectively.