Crossbill is the name of several species of small birds. The upper and lower parts of the bill of these birds cross each other at the ends.
The male red, or American, crossbill is colored brick red, with wings and tail of brown. It is about the size of a house sparrow. The plumage of the female is a slightly mottled, greenish yellow. This bird breeds from the northern states northward. In the region of the Allegheny Mountains, it breeds as far south as the Carolinas. In winter, red crossbills migrate in small flocks to the Gulf of Mexico, and west as far as Idaho and Arizona. They build their nests in evergreens. The female lays three or four pale-greenish eggs with purple or lilac spots. Red crossbills feed chiefly on seeds of cone-bearing trees. They also eat small quantities of buds and a few insects. The bird uses its crossed bill to lift the scales from the cones to get the seeds.
The white-winged crossbill is similar in habits to the red crossbill. It breeds from the northern states northward. In winter, it migrates as far south as Virginia.
