RED CROSSBILL 507 



nest are marked by stealth and silence. Loud calling is resumed after the young 

 leave the nest, now between parents and young, accompanied by begging and 

 pursuit on the part of the young. 



The young remain in the nest at least 17 days. When the young leave the 

 nest their bills are not crossed but during the next following weeks the tips of the 

 mandibles extend and cross as in the adults. The young are fed by the parents 

 for at least two weeks after leaving the nest. There is no evidence of second 

 nestings, not even after interrupted nesting attempts, at least not in the same 

 territories. 



When nesting was over the birds began to wander and one family group was 

 joined by others. As flocking increased the birds in this area moved out of 

 their winter and nesting grounds to new, and apparently better, feeding regions. 



Ora W. Knight (1908) says: "In Maine I have seen the parent 

 birds with young not long out of the nest in March, April, May, 

 June, July and August in various sections of the State." 



Plumages. — In the juvenal streaked plumage the sexes are alike, 

 according to Dwight (1900), who describes this plumage as foUows: 

 "Above, streaked with olive-brown, the feathers with whitish edgings, 

 an olive-green on the back and pale buff on the rump. Wings and 

 tan clove-brown the feathers faintly edged with pale buff sometimes 

 greenish tinged. Below, duU grayish white thickly streaked with 

 olive-brown." See Griscom (1937, p. 111). 



A partial postjuvenal molt occurs in summer, involving the body 

 plumage but neither the wings nor the tail, producing the first winter 

 plumage. Dwight describes the male in this plumage as follows: 

 "Everywhere a mottled mixture of bright yellows, greens and reds, 

 the former predominating and the reds duU, but individual variation 

 is great. The colors are brightest on the head, rump, throat and 

 side of abdomen. The posterior part of the abdomen and under tail 

 coverts may be red tinged or yellowish or they may fail to moult and 

 remain brown streaked." 



The first and following nuptial plumages are produced by wear 

 which results in brightening the plumage, as in the purple finch. 



Of the plumages of the female, he says: "In natal down and juvenal 

 plumage indistinguishable from males. The first winter plumage 

 acquired by a partial postjuvenal moult which does not include the 

 wings nor the tail is olive-buff indistinctly mottled or streaked with 

 olive brown; the rump bright olive-yellow. The first nuptial plumage 

 is acquired by wear producing little change. The adult winter 

 plumage varies but little from the first winter, the rump perhaps 

 brighter and the breast tinged with bright olive-yellow. Old birds 

 sometimes show dull red tints on these areas." 



Adults and young of both sexes have a complete postnuptial molt 

 in September. At this molt, the young male acquires the "brick-red 

 body plumage with vermilion rump." 



