COMMON CROSSBILL 497 



LOXIA CURVIROSTRA CURVIROSTRA Linnaeus 



Common Crossbill 



Habits 



The fact that the common crossbill of the Old World has occurred 

 in Greenland entitles it to a place on our North American Check-List. 

 An inhabitant of the boreal conifer forests of northern Europe, it 

 breeds from the northern British Isles eastward to central western 

 Siberia. It winters irregularly southward to the Mediterranean 

 region, and has strayed to Jan Mayen Land, Iceland, and Greenland 

 (Nappasoq, Kangamuit, Angmagssalik) . 



Ludlow Griscom (1937) describes it as follows: "Quite different 

 from any New World subspecies; a large Crossbill, wing (male) 

 98-102 mm.; culmen 18-20 mm.; depth of bill at base 12-14 mm.; 

 consequently as large as the Mexican stricklandi with a radically still 

 deeper bill; coloration of both sexes distinctly paler in ground color 

 than the next race, especially noticeable on belly, vent, and under 

 tailcoverts; reds of adult male paler than in any New World race 

 except benti, the scarlet tone dulled by a hepatic or pinkish rather 

 than the deeper brick red of our eastern Crossbill ; females distinctly 

 yellower, less olive, than our eastern Crossbill, the oHve wash below 

 more frequently tinging throat and chin, and more often extensively 

 spotted and tipped with dusky." 



European ornithological literature indicates that the nesting 

 habits, sequence of plumages, food, and other habits of the common 

 crossbill of the Old World are very similar to those of the American sub- 

 species. The following from the 1920 edition of Witherby's "Practical 

 Handbook of British Bu-ds" tells the story concisely: ''Haunts conif- 

 erous woods, frequently nesting in clumps or belts of Scots firs, not as 

 a rule in thickest part, but by preference on outskirts of forest. Nests 

 at varying heights, sometimes not more than 6 ft. from ground. 

 Nest. — Characteristic: strong foundation of fir-twigs, with super- 

 structure of grasses, wool, etc., lined grass, rabbit's fur, hair, feathers, 

 etc.; somewhat flattened in shape. Eggs.—VsuaWj 4, sometimes 3 

 only, rarely 5. Ground greenish-white (sometimes faint reddish 

 flush) with few bold spots and streaks of purple-red, sometimes 

 blackish, generally at big end; in some cases markings faint. Aver- 

 age of 25 Norfolk eggs 22.32 X 16.06 mm. Breeding season.— It- 

 regular: some laying Jan. and Feb., mostly March and early April; 

 sometimes also June and July." 



The Handbook lists its food as: "Normally seeds of cones of Scots 

 fir and other conifers, but also apple-pips, rowan berries, buds, aphides, 

 caterpillars, etc." 



