AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 37 



WHITE.WINGED CROSSBILL 



A, O. U. No. 522. (Loxia leucoptera.) 



RANGE. 

 Found in the northern parts of North America; south in winter to the 

 middle portions of the United States. They breed from the northern 

 parts of the United States northwards. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Length, about 6 in.; extent, 11.5 in.; tail, 2.5 in. Eye, brown. Bill 

 and feet brown. Both mandibles are rather large at the base, but rap- 

 idly become slender towards the point, the upper being curved down- 

 wards and to one side, while the lower mandible is curved upwards and 

 to the opposite side. Male, general color a bright rosy red, somewhat 

 obscured by brownish on the back and changing to whitish on the belly. 

 Wings and tail, black, the outer webs of the feathers of each being 

 edged with rosy. The secondaries and wing coverts are broadly tipped 

 with white; these two wing bars sometimes overlap and form one large 

 wing patch. 



The tail is somewhat forked. Female: — General color a yellowish 

 olive, changing to a bright yellow ochre on the rump. Both above and 

 below, with the exception of the rump, they are streaked with dull 

 brownish. Both sexes vary greatly in the coloration, some being very 

 bright, while others show little color. 



NEST AND EGGS. 



It cannot be stated with certainty just what localities the White-wing- 

 ed Crossbills will nest in each year. Their movements are very unreli- 

 able and places where they nest one year may not see a single individ- 

 ual the next. They may be met with breeding throughout any of the 

 northern tier of states and the whole of Canada and Alaska. They are 



very early breeders and their nests have been found with sets from the 

 middle of January to June. They build their nest at heights varying from 

 ten feet to the tops of the tallest trees. It is generally placed on a hor- 

 izontal branch at its junction with the main trunk, and is a good sized, 

 flat structure made of small twigs, straw, moss and lichens, generally 

 with some attempt to imitate the coloration of the bark on the tree in 

 which it is placed. They lay three or four pale bluish eggs sparsely 

 spotted at the larger end with black and lilac. 



