WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL 



179 



It also utters, especially when flying in flocks, a rattling 

 note, like the syllables tshu, tshu, tshu. 



A flock is generally composed of birds in many stages of 

 plumage ; some show no red, others have only a small dark 

 red cap, still others have a suff'usion of rose over the breast 

 as well. They may be distinguished from the Pine Siskins, 

 with which they are often associated, by their grayer tone, 

 by the smaller amount of streaking on the under parts, 

 and by the blackish throat. 



White-winged Crossbill. Loxia leucoptera 



6.05 



Ad. $. — Head, rump, and under parts rose-red; middle of 

 back black, streaked with rose; wings and tail black; two broad 

 bars on the wing white ; tips of the mandibles crossed. Ad. 9 and 

 Im. — The red of the $ replaced by gray, tinged with olive-yel- 

 low, and streaked with black; rump yellow; wings and tail almost 

 black; wing-bars as in male. Im. $. — Often shows stages be- 

 tween the plumages of the ad. 9 and $ . 



Nest, in coniferous trees. Eggs, pale greenish, dotted about 

 the larger end with brown. 



The White-winged Crossbill is a very irregular winter 

 visitant in southern New York and New England, often ab- 

 sent for a period 

 of many years. 

 In northern New 

 England and in 

 the Adirondacks, 

 it breeds spar- 

 ingly, and is a not 

 infrequent win- 

 ter visitant in the 

 valleys. Its call- 

 note is a sweet 

 monosyllable, re- 

 sembling the syl- 



FiG. 54. White-winged Crossbill 



